Electric Circuits I: ELCT 301
Winter 2024
Lecture 6: Mesh Analysis (Mesh-Current Method)
Course Instructors: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eman Azab
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wassim Alexan
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Electric Circuit I ELCT301
Winter 2024
Intended Learning Objectives
To learn how to write (Mesh\Loop Analysis) Mesh-Current equations
To define the super mesh and to include the super-mesh in the loop
analysis formulation
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The Mesh-Current Method
“Loop Analysis”
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Mesh Current Method (Loop Analysis)
Nodal analysis was developed by applying KCL at each non-
reference node
Mesh-Current method is developed by applying KVL around meshes
in the circuit
Loop (mesh) analysis results in a system of linear equations which
must be solved for unknown currents
Reduces the number of required equations to the number of meshes
Can be done systematically with little thinking
As usual, be careful writing mesh equations – follow sign convention
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Definitions
Mesh: Loop that does not enclose other loops
Branch: Path between 2 essential nodes
How many mesh-currents?
No. of essential nodes ‘Ne’
Ne = 4 A
No. of branches ‘Be’
Be = 6
+
B C
No. of Mesh-currents ‘M’ -
M = Be –(Ne-1)
•Enough equations to get unknowns
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Steps of Mesh Analysis
1. Identify the number of basic meshes
2. Assign a current to each mesh
3. Apply KVL around each loop to get an equation in terms of the
loop currents
4. Solve the resulting system of linear equations
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Steps of Mesh Analysis
1. Identifying the Meshes 1kW 1kW
Ne = 2
Be = 3
M = Be-(Ne-1)
+ Mesh 2 +
V1 Mesh 1 V2
M = 3-(2-1) = 2 – –
1kW
2. Assigning Mesh Currents
1kW 1kW
1kW
+ +
V1 I1 I2 V2
– –
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Steps of Mesh Analysis
Note: Formulation of voltage drop in terms of Mesh Currents
+ VR – + VR –
R I2
R
I1
I1
VR = I1 R VR = (I1 - I2 ) R
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Steps of Mesh Analysis
3 & 4. Writing Mesh-Current Equations and solving them simultaneously
R1 W R2 W
R3 W
V1 + +
I1 I2 V2
– –
-V1 + I1 R1 + (I1 - I2) R3 = 0
I2 R2 + V2 + (I2-I1) R3 = 0
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Exercise 1
Find the power supplied by the sources using Mesh current method
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Exercise 1
Find the power supplied by the sources using Mesh current method
M= 3-(2-1) = 2
Assign mesh currents
Write mesh equations:
i1(12) + (i1-i2)2+ i1(4) -12= 0
i2(9) +8+ i2(3) + (i2-i1) 2= 0
Solve mesh equations:
i1 = 0.6129 A & i2 = - 0.4838 A
P12V = -12 i1 & P9V = 8 i2
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Mesh Current Method Cases
Case I: When a current source exists only in one mesh
Mesh 1:
-10 + 4i1 + 6(i1-i2) = 0
Mesh 2:
i2 = - 5 A
There is no need to write a loop equation
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Mesh Current Method Cases
Case II: Super Mesh (when a current source exists between two
meshes)
4i1 + 2 (i1 – i3) + 2(i2 – i3) + 8i2 = 0
i2 – i1 = 5 A
-10 + 2(i3 – i2 ) + 2(i3 –i1) = 0
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Exercise 2
Find the power supplied by the voltage source using the Mesh current
method
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Exercise 2 Solutions
Find the power supplied by the voltage source using the Mesh current
method
Source current:
𝑖2 − 𝑖1 = 4A
Super Mesh equation:
2 𝑖1 − 𝑖3 + 4𝑖1 + 8𝑖2 + 6 𝑖2 − 𝑖4 = 0
Mesh 3:
−30 + 2 𝑖3 − 𝑖1 + 3 𝑖3 − 𝑖4 = 0
Mesh 4:
6 𝑖4 − 𝑖2 + 𝑖4 + 3 𝑖4 − 𝑖3 = 0
Solving this LSE, we obtain:
𝑖3 = 8.561 𝐴 → 𝑃30𝑉 = −𝑖𝑉 = − 8.561 30 = −256.83 𝑊
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Mesh Current Method Cases
Case III: Mesh with Dependent Sources
−20 + 4 𝑖1 − 𝑖3 + 2 𝑖1 − 𝑖2 = 0
4 𝑖3 − 𝑖1 + 6𝑖3 + 8 𝑖3 − 𝑖2 = 0
−10𝑖𝑜 + 2 𝑖2 − 𝑖1 + 8 𝑖2 − 𝑖3 = 0
In addition to the 3 Mesh equations, an extra
equation defining the control parameter of the
dependent source must be formulated:
𝑖0 = 𝑖3
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Exercise 3
Use the Mesh current method to find 𝑖0
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Exercise 3 Solutions
Use the Mesh current method to find 𝑖0
𝑖1 = 4A
3 𝑖2 − 𝑖1 + 2𝑖2 − 5𝑖𝑜 + 𝑖2 − 𝑖3 = 0
−20 + 5 𝑖3 − 𝑖1 + 1 𝑖3 − 𝑖2 + 5𝑖𝑜 + 4𝑖3 = 0
𝑖𝑜 = 𝑖1 − 𝑖3
8
𝑖𝑜 = − = −0.4706𝐴
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Exercise 4
Use Mesh analysis to find 𝑉Δ and 𝐼Φ
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Exercise 4
Solutions 𝒊𝟏
𝒊𝟐 𝒊𝟑 𝒊𝟒 𝒊𝟓
• Mesh 1: −175𝑖Φ + 20 (𝑖1 − 𝑖4 ) + 5(𝑖1 −𝑖3 ) + 10(𝑖1 −𝑖2 ) = 0
• Mesh 2: 100 𝑖2 + 10(𝑖2 −𝑖1 ) + 60 = 0
• Mesh 3: −60 + 5(𝑖3 −𝑖1 ) + 200(𝑖3 −𝑖4 ) = 0
• Mesh 4: 200(𝑖4 −𝑖3 ) + 20(𝑖4 −𝑖1 ) + 400(𝑖4 −𝑖5 ) = 0
• From mesh 5, we know that: 𝑖5 = −0.625𝑉Δ Faculty of Information Engineering
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• As well as: 𝑉Δ = 5(𝑖1 − 𝑖3 ), 𝑖Φ = 𝑖4 − 𝑖3
• Solving this LSE, we get: 𝑖1 = 12.6825𝐴, 𝑖2 = 0.6075𝐴, 𝑖3 = 18.6825𝐴
𝑖4 = 18.5325𝐴, 𝑖5 = 18.75𝐴, 𝑖Φ = −0.15𝐴, 𝑉Δ = −30𝑉 20
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Exercise 5
Use Mesh analysis to find 𝑉0
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Exercise 5
Solutions 𝒊𝟓
• Mesh 1: 𝑖1 = 4 𝑚𝐴
• Super mesh 2:
𝒊𝟏 𝒊𝟑 𝒊𝟒
𝑖1 − 𝑖2 = 2 𝑚𝐴 𝒊𝟐
𝑖2 = 2 𝑚𝐴
• Mesh 3: (𝑖3 −𝑖2 ) × 1𝑘 + (𝑖3 −𝑖5 ) × 1𝑘 + (𝑖3 −𝑖4 ) × 1𝑘 = 0
• Mesh 4: (𝑖4 − 𝑖3 ) × 1𝑘 + (𝑖4 ) × 1𝑘 + (𝑖4 ) × 1𝑘 = 0
• Mesh 5: (𝑖5 − 𝑖3 ) × 1𝑘 + 12 + (𝑖5 −𝑖1 ) × 1𝑘 − 2𝑉𝑥 = 0
• We also have: 𝑉𝑥 = (𝑖2 −𝑖3 ) × 1𝑘
𝑖3 = 0, 𝑖4 = 0, 𝑖5 = −2 𝑚𝐴, 𝑉0 = 0
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