cooling tower

American  

noun

Energy.

1. a usually cylindrical structure, sometimes of very great size, in which heat is extracted from water that has been used for cooling, as in a nuclear reactor.

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cooling tower British  

noun

1. a tall hollow structure in which steam is condensed or water that is used as a coolant in some industrial process is allowed to cool for reuse by trickling down a surface

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Etymology

Origin of cooling tower

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Chillers circulate water or another coolant through pipes to absorb heat, then transfer it to a cooling tower or other system to remove it.

From MarketWatch

He said the taking down of the cooling towers in 2007 was a big moment as many people from the area used to say that when you saw them you knew you were nearly home.

From BBC

Her hillside home overlooks the Susquehanna River and offers a clear view of the plant’s signature cooling towers above bare trees.

From The Wall Street Journal

That’s the shape of the nuclear plant where Homer Simpson works, and it’s a common shape for nuclear plant cooling towers.

From Literature

Engie has already sought permission to tear down the reactor’s cooling towers that loom over the city of Huy from the banks of the Meuse River.

From The Wall Street Journal