The washing cost of coal is usually reduced through optimization study. Increase in plant feed rate without major capital investment would also reduce washing cost. At Tata Steel, dense media (DM) cyclone treats around 80% of the washery feed and, hence, feed rate to the washery can be increased when proper arrangements are made to increase the feed rate to DM cyclone. Published literature reveals that slurry flow rate to the hydrocyclone can be increased by increasing the feed inlet pressure. At enhanced feed inlet pressure, cut size of separation can be maintained through design modifications in the hydrocyclone. However, information related to the effect of increased feed inlet pressure on the DM cyclone performance is limited. The paper discusses in detail the possibility of increasing feed rate to DM cyclone by increasing the feed inlet pressure and required changes in the outlet diameter of the DM cyclone. Effect of increased feed inlet pressure on media behavior of the DM cyclone is also addressed. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.