Determination of current distribution in energized conductors for the computation of electromagnetic fields

Current distributions in networks of overhead and buried conductors, energized by current injections at arbitrary locations, are computed by two approaches. The first approach solves electric field point matching equations in a weighted least square formulation with linear constraints on the currents. The second approach, specialized to the low frequency range and lossy media, employs a power minimization algorithm. Both approaches lead to geometrically invariant, linearly constrained, quadratic minimization problems. At low frequencies, induced loop currents are determined by explicitly imposing Faraday´s law as a linear constraint. Computation results compare well with measurements and with results of other algorithms. At high frequencies, the computation results match those published in the antenna literature. At low frequencies, they are essentially identical to published measurements and to computations based on grounding and quasi-static techniques