DEPARTMENT OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION

ANDHRA PRADESH
Name of the staff : N. Sreenath Rao
Designation : Lecturer
Branch : Electronics and Communication
Engineering
Institute : Govt. Polytechnic For Women [M]
L.B.Nagar.
Semester : 3rd semester
Subject : Circuit Theory
Subject Code : EC-303
Topic : Mesh current and Node Voltage Analysis
Duration : 50 Minutes
Sub Topic : Super node Analysis
Teaching Aids : Diagrams

EC-303.33 1
Objectives:

On completion of this period, you would be able to:

• Know what is super node

• Solve for currents through different branches and

voltages across different points in a network consisting
of super nodes using super node analysis

EC-303.33 2
Review:

• Procedure to write node voltage equations

• Identify principal nodes

• Mark all nodes with numbers or names

• Write KCL for each node with reference to reference

node

• Arrange the equations in matrix form and solve for

node voltages using Crammer’s rule

EC-303.33 3
Example1 R1 V1 R3 V2 R5

Vs
R2 R4 R6

Vref

R1 V1 R3 V2 V1 R3 V2 R5

Vs
R2 R4 R6

Vref Vref

V1 − Vs V1 − Vref V1 − V2
+ + =0
V2 − V1 V2 − Vref V2 − Vref
+ + =0
R1 R2 R3 R3 R4 R5 + R6
EC-303.33 4
 V1 − Vs V1 − Vref V1 − V2
+ + =0
R1 R2 R3
Can be arranged as
 1 1 1  V2 Vs
V1  + +  − = − − − (1)
 R1 R2 R3  R3 R1
And

V2 − V1 V2 − Vref V2 − Vref
+ + =0
R3 R4 R5 + R6
Can be arranged as
 1 1 1  V1
V2 
R + R + R +R   − R = 0 − − − ( 2)
 3 4 5 6  3

EC-303.33 5
Equations (1) and (2) can be arranged in matrix
form as
 1 1 1  V2 Vs
V1  + +  − = − − − − − (1)
 R1 R2 R3  R3 R1
V1  1 1 1 
− + V2  + +  = 0 − − − − − (2)
R3  R3 R4 R5 + R6 

1 1 1 1 
+
R R R + −   Vs 
R3 V1   
 1 2 3
   = R1
 1 1 1 1  V2   
− + +  0
 R3 R3 R4 R5 + R6 
EC-303.33 6
Cramer’s rule to solve node voltages
• By using Cramer’s rule we can solve unknown node
voltages using determinants.

• The nodal equations in matrix form are represented as

Y11 Y12 Y13 V1  I1 

Y Y22    
Y23 V2  = I 2 
 21

Y31 Y32 Y33 

V3 
  I 3 


EC-303.33 7
The unknown voltages V1,V2 and V3 can be found by using
the equations as below

∆1 ∆2 ∆3 where
V1 = V2 = and
V3 =
∆Y ∆Y ∆Y
Y11 Y12 Y13  I1 Y12 Y13 
∆Y = 
Y21 Y22 Y23 
 ∆1 = I
 2 Y22 Y23 


Y31 Y32 Y33 
 
I 3 Y32 Y33 


Y11 I1 Y13  Y11 Y12 I1 

Y ∆3 = Y I2 
∆2 =  21 I2 Y23 
  21 Y22 
 Y33  
Y31 Y32 I3 

Y31 I3 
EC-303.33 8
THE SUPER NODE:

A single voltage source connected between two

nodes.

R1 V1 Vs V2 R4
+ –

R2 R3

EC-303.33 9
Can you write KCL for this branch?

R1 V1 Vs V2 R4
+ –

R2 R3

No
Why?
We do not have either internal resistance of source
or resistance in branch. So we don’t know the current
through the source.
EC-303.33 10
How to proceed?
• To find values of V1 and V2 we need 2 equations.

• We can write first equation from the figure as:

• V1 – V2 = Vs -----(1)

R1 V1 Vs V2 R4
+ –

R2 R3

EC-303.33 11
Super node equation:

• We can write second equation by combining KCLs for two

nodes except for the branch with single voltage source as:

R1 V1 Vs V2 R4
+ –

R2 R3

V1 V1 V2 V2
+ + + = 0 − − − − − (2)
R1 R2 R3 R4

EC-303.33 12
Problem 1

• Determine the current in the 5Ω resistor for the circuit

shown in below fig.

20V
+ -
V1 2Ω V2 V3
1 2 3
5Ω

+
2Ω 3Ω 1Ω 2Ω
10V

|
EC-303.33 13
Solution

• KCL at node 1 :

V1 V1 − V2
10 = +
3 2
or

 1 1  V2
V1  +  − − 10 = 0
3 2 2
or

0.83V1 − 0.5V2 − 10 = 0 − − − − − (1)

EC-303.33 14
Now, the super node equation at nodes 2 and 3:

V2 − V1 V2 V3 − 10 V3
+ + + =0
2 1 5 2

or

− V1 1  1 1 
+ V2  + 1 + V3  +  = 2
2 2  5 2 

or

0.5V1 + 1.5V2 + 0.7V3 − 2 = 0 − − − − − (2)

EC-303.33 15
The voltage between the nodes 2 and 3 is given
by:

V2 − V3 = 20 − − − − − (3)

Now we have three unknown voltages and three

equations. Hence we can solve for unknown voltages
using crammer’s rule.

EC-303.33 16
Arranging the three equations in matrix form:

0.83V1 − 0.5V2 − 10 = 0 − − − − − (1)

0.5V1 + 1.5V2 + 0.7V3 − 2 = 0 − − − − − (2)

V2 − V3 = 20 − − − − − (3)

 0.83 − 0.5 0  V1  10 

− 0.5 1.5 0.7  V  =  2 
  2   
 0 1 − 1  V3  20

EC-303.33 17
Using Cramer’s rule

 0.83 − 0.5 10 
 − 0.5 1.5 2 

 0 1 20 
V3 =   = −8.42V
0.83 − 0.5 0
 
 − 0.5 1.5 0.7 
 
 0 1 −1

EC-303.33 18
Current through 5Ω resistor is:

V3 − 10
I 5Ω =
5

Hence

− 8.42 − 10
I 5Ω = = −3.68 A
5

i.e., current flows towards node 3.

EC-303.33 19
Summary

In this session we discussed about

• What is super node?

• Finding current and voltages in the circuit consisting of

single voltage source between two nodes.

EC-303.33 20
Quiz

1)Super node means

a) Simple node

b) Principal node

c) Reference node

d) Two nodes with single voltage source between them

EC-303.33 21
2) Number of node voltage equations required to
solve a given network is

c) N

e) N+1

g) N-1

i) 2N+1

Where N is the principal node.

EC-303.33 22
3) Node voltage equation is written using

a) KVL

b) Star-Delta transformation technique

c) KCL

d) None

EC-303.33 23
Frequently asked questions

• What is super node?

• Explain how to solve for node voltages with super node

network

• Problems on super node analysis.

EC-303.33 24