Gravity foundation for the installation of offshore wind turbines

A gravity-based foundation for installation of offshore wind turbines, manufactured in or on a floating dock for towing to a final location thereof, where the gravity-based foundation is anchored and finally completely submerged below sea level, the gravity-based foundation comprising:

• a base located at a bottom surface of said gravity-based foundation;
• a closing cover or covers for closing or sealing a top surface of said gravity-based foundation;
• a floating concrete caisson, in the shape of a straight prism, closed at said base, provided with vertical inner cells interconnected with each other and with an exterior, equipped with emptying and filling devices;
• and provided with at least one concrete node in at least one of the cells of the caisson;
• and
• a circular central cell being provided as an area of connection to a shaft or structure that joins the caisson to the superstructure, to which in turn the wind turbine is fastened,
• wherein said caisson has a lobular cross section in a circular arrangement to provide a plurality of lobes, wherein each of said plurality of lobes has a trapezoidal configuration, with an inner side and a curved-convex outer side, while the inner side is a portion of a partition that defines the circular central cell, each of said plurality of lobes being divided into several cells by at least one partition with a circular cross section, concentric with the circular central cell;
• the closing cover or covers having a configuration equivalent to the caisson or to each of said plurality of lobes and a support on said caisson that enables the removal of the closing cover or covers once the foundation is anchored, before being filled with a ballast material,
• wherein the base of the caisson has a polygonal floor plan, thicker than walls of the caisson, and protruding slightly from the bottom of the caisson, acting as a counterweight with the aim of lowering the center of gravity, which allows the caisson to be stabilized in flotation, during the transfer thereof or in anchoring operations,
• where each lobe of said plurality of lobes is closed and sealed on the bottom surface of said gravity-based foundation by the base, and
• wherein each lobe of said plurality of lobes is only open at the top of said gravity-based foundation.