In India, a major portion of metallurgical coal of desirable ash is produced from the dense medium cyclone (DMC) process. Based on detailed laboratory studies, vorsyl separator (VS), a centrifugal dense medium separator, was established to be a possible alternative to the dense medium cyclone. To establish further at commercial scale, trials were undertaken with 400 and 600-mm vorsyl separators made of mild steel, at the captive washeries of the Tata Iron and Steel, The studies clearly showed that the VS gave about 4% higher combustible recovery compared to a DMC at the same ash rejection level. Generalised E-p value of 0.033-0.045 for VS was also found lower compared to 0.043-0.068 for DMC. This clearly established the better sharpness of separation in VS compared to DMC. Vorsyl separator made of suitable wear-resistant material is recommended for regular plant use. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.