Start with the hazard. Medium velocity nozzles give a filled cone of fine droplets for exposure protection: they cool tank shells, vessels, structural steel and equipment so these do not absorb too much heat from a nearby fire, and with a higher design density they can also control a fire. High velocity nozzles give a narrower, solid cone of fast droplets for extinguishing fires in special hazards such as oil filled transformers, switchgear, circuit breakers, lube oil systems and oil fired boilers. Tyco, HD Fire, New Age and Aaag list both kinds, and Balaji Fire Safety lists a ½ inch brass medium velocity nozzle.
Then size the nozzle. The K factor sets how much water flows at a given pressure and the spray angle sets how wide the cone spreads, so both come from the system design and the distance to the surface. Aaag medium velocity nozzles run from K 22 to 102 metric with angles of 60° to 120°, the HD Fire MV from K 18 to 102 metric with angles of 65° to 160°, and Tyco and New Age list a wide range of K factors or orifice sizes and spray angles. Most medium velocity nozzles take a ½ inch BSPT or NPT connection, while high velocity nozzles use ½ inch (Aaag), ¾ inch (HD Fire, Tyco Mulsifyre) or 1 inch (HD Fire) connections. Check the working pressure too: 10 bar on Aaag medium velocity and curtain nozzles, 12 bar on Aaag high velocity nozzles, a maximum of 175 psi on most Tyco nozzles and up to 17 bar on the New Age high velocity nozzle.
For openings, tanks and special areas, choose by pattern. Water curtain nozzles spread a flat sheet of water: the Aaag curtain nozzle works as a window spray when pendent or as a fire separation curtain when horizontal, HD Fire CN and CNS nozzles protect windows, walls, beams and roofs, the flanged HD Fire Jumbo JCS throws a curtain upward to segregate areas, and Tyco Issue A and B sprinklers cover window glazing. For storage tanks there are HD Fire TS and TSS tank cooling nozzles, the HD Fire revolving nozzle for fixed roof tank tops, and Tyco MV-R reverse action and MV-T tank top nozzles. Tyco also lists TN-17 and TN-25 tunnel nozzles and Type 1 and Type 2 nozzles for crossflow cooling towers.
Finally choose material and approval. Brass suits most installations, while stainless steel (Aaag, HD Fire, New Age, Tyco), aluminium bronze (HD Fire MV-E) and titanium or 254 SMO (Tyco MV) suit corrosive and chemical plant atmospheres. Most HD Fire nozzles are UL Listed, with FM approval on the ¾ inch high velocity and MV nozzles and Lloyd's Register type approval on the MV; New Age nozzles are UL Listed; and Tyco lists UL, C-UL, ULC or FM approval by model. Aaag and Balaji Fire Safety nozzles are listed without approval details, so FPS confirms them on enquiry. Outdoors, blow-off caps or plugs (HD Fire, Tyco) and strainers (Tyco HV and Mulsifyre strainer models) keep insects and debris out of small orifices.