Inlet bleed heater for heating inlet air to a compressor and methods of fabricating and transporting the heater

The present invention relates to an inlet bleed heat system for heating air supplied to a compressor inlet and particularly relates to such system and to methods of fabricating the system at a fabrication site and transporting the system to an electricity generating site. An inlet bleed heater for flowing heated air to the inlet of a compressor is fabricated wholly at a factory site. The heater interconnects a manifold which receives extraction air from the compressor to down tubes in the inlet air duct to supply heated extraction air to the ambient inlet air via piping with bellows. The bellows accommodate thermal expansion and contraction of the manifold and the down tubes. The pipe and bellows lie within the height envelope of the bleed heater, facilitating transportation of the heater on its side within overall height and width limitations permitted for road travel.