Power System Simulation Tools (ETAP, PSCAD) – MCQs – EE

1. ETAP is primarily used for:
(A) Electrical power system modeling, analysis, and simulation
(B) Mechanical system design
(C) MATLAB programming only
(D) Database management

2. PSCAD is mainly used for:
(A) Transient and electromagnetic simulation of power systems
(B) Step response analysis
(C) MATLAB scripting
(D) Thermal analysis

3. One major advantage of ETAP is:
(A) Comprehensive analysis tools including load flow, short-circuit, and protective device coordination
(B) Only matrix operations
(C) Only graphical plotting
(D) Word processing

4. Load flow analysis in ETAP helps to:
(A) Determine voltages, currents, and power flows in a network
(B) Design mechanical systems
(C) Compute FFT
(D) Plot histograms

5. Short-circuit analysis in ETAP is used to:
(A) Calculate fault currents
(B) Solve differential equations
(C) Perform matrix operations
(D) Filter signals

6. ETAP protective device coordination helps to:
(A) Ensure proper operation of protective relays
(B) Plot Bode plots
(C) Compute eigenvalues
(D) Solve algebraic loops

7. PSCAD uses:
(A) Time-domain simulations for electromagnetic transients
(B) Frequency-domain plots only
(C) Static analysis only
(D) Step response only

8. In PSCAD, power system components are represented as:
(A) Graphical modules or blocks
(B) Text files only
(C) Scripts only
(D) Tables only

9. ETAP can perform which type of analysis?
(A) Load flow, short-circuit, arc flash, harmonic analysis
(B) Only load flow
(C) Only plotting
(D) Only FFT

10. In PSCAD, switching transients are simulated using:
(A) Detailed time-step integration
(B) Step response only
(C) Matrix multiplication
(D) Histogram analysis

11. ETAP single-line diagrams are used to:
(A) Represent power system networks graphically
(B) Plot 3D surfaces
(C) Perform FFT
(D) Design mechanical parts

12. In ETAP, one-line diagrams simplify:
(A) Complex three-phase systems into single-line representations
(B) Matrix operations only
(C) Plotting
(D) Thermal analysis

13. PSCAD is suitable for:
(A) Transient stability, fault analysis, and control studies
(B) Only load flow analysis
(C) Database management
(D) Word processing

14. ETAP can model:
(A) AC, DC, and hybrid power systems
(B) Mechanical systems only
(C) Thermal systems only
(D) Software scripts only

15. In PSCAD, the simulation step size affects:
(A) Accuracy and computational time
(B) Only voltage magnitude
(C) Only current magnitude
(D) Only plotting style

16. Harmonic analysis in ETAP is used to:
(A) Study effects of nonlinear loads on power quality
(B) Step response only
(C) Compute matrix determinant
(D) Solve algebraic equations

17. ETAP Arc Flash module is used to:
(A) Evaluate incident energy and protective equipment requirements
(B) Plot FFT
(C) Step response analysis
(D) RMS calculation only

18. PSCAD allows modeling of:
(A) Power electronics and renewable energy systems
(B) Only mechanical systems
(C) Only DC motors
(D) Word processing

19. ETAP database stores:
(A) Network data, device parameters, and simulation results
(B) Only MATLAB scripts
(C) Only plots
(D) Only text files

20. PSCAD time-domain results include:
(A) Voltage, current, and power waveforms
(B) Only plots
(C) Only numerical tables
(D) Only text

21. ETAP short-circuit calculations follow standards like:
(A) IEEE, IEC
(B) MATLAB
(C) Simulink only
(D) None

22. PSCAD is particularly useful for studying:
(A) Switching transients, lightning, and fault conditions
(B) Only load flow
(C) Only RMS values
(D) Static plots

23. ETAP optimal power flow (OPF) analysis helps to:
(A) Minimize generation cost while satisfying constraints
(B) Plot signals
(C) Compute FFT
(D) Design mechanical parts

24. PSCAD allows co-simulation with:
(A) MATLAB/Simulink
(B) Only Excel
(C) Only ETAP
(D) Word processors

25. Protective relay settings in ETAP help to:
(A) Prevent damage to equipment during faults
(B) Only plot signals
(C) Compute FFT
(D) Step response analysis only

26. PSCAD simulation results can be:
(A) Exported for further analysis in MATLAB
(B) Only viewed in PSCAD
(C) Printed only
(D) Not analyzed

27. ETAP load flow can use which methods?
(A) Gauss-Seidel, Newton-Raphson, Fast Decoupled
(B) Only Runge-Kutta
(C) Only trapezoidal
(D) Only Euler method

28. PSCAD allows modeling of:
(A) Electrical machines, transmission lines, and power electronics
(B) Only mechanical components
(C) Only thermal systems
(D) Only MATLAB scripts

29. In ETAP, contingency analysis is used to:
(A) Evaluate system behavior under fault or outage conditions
(B) Plot signals
(C) Compute FFT only
(D) Solve linear equations

30. The main advantage of using ETAP and PSCAD is:
(A) Safe, accurate, and efficient simulation of complex power systems
(B) Only plotting graphs
(C) Only matrix computations
(D) Only text editing