ABSTRACT
Hyperbolic cooling towers are large, thin shell reinforced concrete structures that contribute to envir-
onmental protection and to power generation efficiency and reliability. As shown in Figure 27.1, they
may dominate the landscape but they possess a certain esthetic eloquence due to their doubly curved
form. The operation of a cooling tower is illustrated in Figure 27.2. In a thermal power station, heated
steam drives the turbogenerator that produces electric energy. To create an efficient heat sink at the end
of this process, the steam is condensed and recycled into the boiler. This requires a large amount of
cooling water, whose temperature is raised and then recooled in the tower.
