Patent ID: 6880813

Claim:
A combined cooling tower and sound attenuating apparatus, said combination comprising: a cooling tower system including a tower structure, a fan unit mounted in said tower structure and arranged to circulate an airflow through said tower system for exit through an opening located in a top of said tower structure, and a liquid circulation system mounted in said tower structure and capable of circulating a liquid in said tower system so that liquid can be cooled by said air flow; an attenuator housing having a vertically extending wall portion, a top cover, and a bottom, said housing being mounted on said top of said tower structure and having an air inlet formed in said bottom and arranged and aligned to receive said air flow from said opening, said housing further having an air outlet formed in said vertically extending wall portion; perforated interior walls mounted in said housing and defining an airflow passage that extends from said air inlet to said air outlet, said interior walls including inner and outer annular wall sections extending around a substantially vertical central axis, said inner wall section extending generally upwardly and outwardly from said air inlet; and sound absorbing material arranged behind said perforated interior walls on sides thereof opposite said airflow passage.