12.6.1.

5 Booster transformers
Figure 12.1 illustrates the principle of operation of draining or booster transformers.
From the feeding substation transformer onwards, the contact wire is interrupted at
3 to 8 km intervals and the traction current is passed through the primary winding
of a transformer with a transformation ratio of 1:1, called booster transformers. The
secondary winding of the transformer is connected to a return current conductor, called
the return feeder, which passes the traction current back to the feeding substation. Such
booster transformers inductively cancel the current at the position of the load, i.e. they
drain the current from the rails and earth and pass it into the return feeder. The booster
transformer system considerably reduces interference effects.

The disadvantages of this concept are

the high cost of installing and operating a large number of booster transformers,
return feeders and switchgear, especially taking into account that each track of
a multiple-track line has to be equipped with booster transformers,
increased effective line impedance due to the booster transformers, this being
associated with increased potential drops and power losses,
arcing across electric isolation gaps in the contact line network, leading to faster
contact wire and collector strip wear, as well as radio frequency interference, and
the train-in-section effect, i.e. when a traction vehicle is travelling and drawing
a current between two booster transformers, currents will still flow through the
rails and earth, depending on the distances and the track parameters involved.
Almost two decades ago, booster transformers originally installed during the electrification
of railway lines in Taiwan ·were decommissioned after only a brief period of
operation; the return feeder cables were reconnected subsequently as simple return
conductors [12.49].
In reference [12.50], a further development of this principle is suggested. The idea
involved connecting cables in parnllel to both the contact wire and the running rails. If
the two cables are placed as close as possible to one another, then the reactance of the
overall system is considerably lower than a comparable system without such cables.
However, installing and operating a system of this kind would lead to high investments
and efforts and the train-in-section effect would also persist in a system of this kind.
For this reason, no practical applications of this suggestion are known to date.
12.6.2 Requirements of return circuit and earthing installations