[en] The shape of cooling towers is more often designed empirically. There, it is considered from a theoretical point of view. The analysis of dynamic of natural draft and of the air flow in a cooling tower shell is presented. It is shown, that although it is convergent, a tower works like a diffuser for pressure recovery. And it is turbulence that produces a transfer of kinetic energy and allows a good operation of the diffusor. The equations permit to define a shell profile which depends upon the operating conditions of the cooling tower. In the same way, a stability criteria for natural draft depending upon operating conditions is established. A heating model of one meter diameter has been built in a thermal similitude. The turbulence rate has been measured with a hot wire anemometer at the tower exit and visualizations have also been made. Natural draft stability has been studied by these means for four different shell shapes and a wide range of operating conditions. Experimental and theoretical results agree satisfactorily and experiments can be considered as a validation of theory