New natural draft cooling tower of 200 m of height

In the years 1999 to 2001 a new natural draft cooling tower has been built at the RWE power station at Niederaussem, with 200 m elevation the highest cooling tower world-wide. For many reasons, such structures can not be designed merely as enlargement of smaller ones, on the contrary, it is full of innovative new design elements. The present paper starts with an overview over the tower and a description of its geometry, followed by an elucidation of the conceptual shape optimization. The structural consequences of the flue gas inlets through the shell at a height of 49 m are explained as well as the needs for an advanced high performance concrete for the wall and the fill construction. Further, the design and structural analysis of the tower is described with respect to the German codified safety concept for these structures. Finally, the necessity of extended durability of this tower is commented, the durability design concept is explained in detail and illustrated by virtue of a series of figures.