A "cooling tower" is a device that cools water by exchanging heat and mass with the air passing through it, resulting in a decrease in water temperature.

An open cooling tower is a device that dissipates waste heat generated in industrial processes or refrigeration air conditioning by utilizing the contact between water and air through the process of evaporation. The basic principle is: dry (low enthalpy) air, after being drawn by the fan, enters the cooling tower through the air intake grid; high-temperature water molecules with a large saturated steam pressure flow towards the low-pressure air; and wet (high enthalpy) water is sprinkled into the tower from the sprinkling system.