Consider an arbitrary lumped network whose graph has branches and nodes. In an electrical network, the branches are two-terminal components and the nodes are points of interconnection. Suppose that to each branch of the graph we assign arbitrarily a branch potential difference and a branch current for, and suppose that they are measured with respect to arbitrarily picked associated reference directions. If the branch potential differences satisfy all the constraints imposed by KVL and if the branch currents satisfy all the constraints imposed by KCL, then Tellegen's theorem is extremely general; it is valid for any lumped network that contains any elements, linear or nonlinear, passive or active, time-varying or time-invariant. The generality is extended when and are linear operations on the set of potential differences and on the set of branch currents since linear operations don't affect KVL and KCL. For instance, the linear operation may be the average or the Laplace transform. More generally, operators that preserve KVL are called Kirchhoff voltage operators, operators that preserve KCL are called Kirchhoff current operators, and operators that preserve both are simply called Kirchhoff operators. These operators need not necessarily be linear for Tellegen's theorem to hold. The set of currents can also be sampled at a different time from the set of potential differences since KVL and KCL are true at all instants of time. Another extension is when the set of potential differences is from one network and the set of currents is from an entirely different network, so long as the two networks have the same topology Tellegen's theorem remains true. This extension of Tellegen's Theorem leads to many theorems relating to two-port networks.
Definitions
We need to introduce a few necessary network definitions to provide a compact proof. Incidence matrix: The matrix is called node-to-branch incidence matrix for the matrix elements being A reference or datum node is introduced to represent the environment and connected to all dynamic nodes and terminals. The matrix, where the row that contains the elements of the reference node is eliminated, is called reduced incidence matrix. The conservation laws in vector-matrix form: The uniqueness condition for the potentials in vector-matrix form: where are the absolute potentials at the nodes to the reference node.
Proof
Using KVL: because by KCL. So:
Applications
Network analogs have been constructed for a wide variety of physical systems, and have proven extremely useful in analyzing their dynamic behavior. The classical application area for network theory and Tellegen's theorem is electrical circuit theory. It is mainly in use to design filters in signal processing applications. A more recent application of Tellegen's theorem is in the area of chemical and biological processes. The assumptions for electrical circuits are generalized for dynamic systems obeying the laws of irreversible thermodynamics. Topology and structure of reaction networks can be analyzed using the Tellegen theorem. Another application of Tellegen's theorem is to determine stability and optimality of complex process systems such as chemical plants or oil production systems. The Tellegen theorem can be formulated for process systems using process nodes, terminals, flow connections and allowing sinks and sources for production or destruction of extensive quantities. A formulation for Tellegen's theorem of process systems: where are the production terms, are the terminal connections, and are the dynamic storage terms for the extensive variables.
