cooling tower
A large structure built to remove heat from a power plant or an industrial plant.
Pictured: Electrabel Centrale Drogenbos
A cooling tower is a structure designed to transfer excess heat from a power-generating source or from a manufacturing process. Towers which are free-standing or which tower over an industrial complex or power plant can be listed as independent structures.
Large cooling towers tend to be cylinders with hyperboloid walls, usually built of concrete. Smaller towers placed on top of other structures, or which are not prominent features of the construction, are generally not listed as independent structures.
The tower removes heat associated with power generation or industrial processing. Freestanding or prominent towers can be independent structures, while a small subsidiary rooftop installation generally remains part of its supporting structure.
