A heating system includes at least one electric heater disposed within a fluid flow system and a control device that is configured to determine a temperature of the at least one electric heater based on a model, at least one fluid flow system input, and at least one heater input. The at least one heater input includes at least one physical characteristic of the heating system, the at least one physical characteristic includes at least one of a resistance wire diameter, a heater insulation thickness, a heater sheath thickness, a conductivity, a specific heat and density of the material of the heater, an emissivity of the heater and the fluid flow pathway, and combinations thereof. The control device is configured to provide power to the at least one electric heater based on the temperature of the at least one electric heater.

A temperature control system includes a heater core utilizing heat of a heat medium; an engine heat exchanger utilizing exhaust heat of an engine to heat the heat medium; a condenser utilizing heat other than the exhaust heat to heat the heat medium; a heat circuit having the heater core and condenser; a communication flow path making the engine heat exchanger communicate with the heat circuit; and a connection state switching mechanism switching a flow state of the heat medium, between a first state and a second state. In the first state, the heat medium flows through the heat circuit, while flowing through the heater core, and in the second state, the heat medium flows through the heat circuit without flowing through the heater core. The heat circuit is arranged at a front of a passenger compartment, and the engine heat exchanger is arranged at a rear of the compartment.

A heater system for an exhaust system is provided. The heater system includes a heater disposed in an exhaust conduit. The heater includes a plurality of heating elements disposed in the exhaust conduit. A heating control module controls the plurality of heating elements differently according to operating conditions specific to each heating element. In other forms, the heater system for an exhaust system has a plurality of heating zones, instead of a plurality of heating elements. The heating control module controls the plurality of heating zones differently according to operating conditions specific to each heating zone.

A porous honeycomb heat storage structure including: a honeycomb structure which has a porous partition wall which defines a plurality of cells extending one end face to the other end face and allows a reaction medium to flow into the cells; and a heat storage portion which is configured by filling a heat storage material performing heat storage and heat dissipation by a reversible chemical reaction with the reaction medium or physical adsorption/desorption in at least a portion of each cells, wherein the heat storage portion has an area ratio in a range from 60% to 90% with respect to a cross sectional area of a honeycomb cross section orthogonal to an axial direction of the honeycomb structure.

A fluid control system is provided that in one form includes a first flow channel, a second flow channel, a heater disposed in the second flow channel, and a fluid control device disposed upstream from the first and second flow channels. When the heater is turned on, the fluid control device changes a fluid flow rate through at least one of the first flow channel and the second flow channel. In another form, the fluid control system includes a bypass conduit, a heater disposed within the bypass conduit, and a fluid control device disposed near the inlet and outlet of the bypass conduit. In still another form, the fluid control system includes a regeneration device disposed downstream from at least one exhaust aftertreatment system and closes an outlet of the exhaust pipe.

A exhaust-gas heat management system includes a catalytic converter in the exhaust-gas train of an internal-combustion engine, a cover enclosing the catalytic converter, and thereby realizing a cavity for holding a latent-heat storage PCM, at least two fluid connections between the cavity and the collecting vessel, and a pump device for activating and deactivating a PCM circuit between the cavity and the collecting vessel by means of the fluid connections. A method comprises determining an operating state of the internal combustion engine, determining the catalytic converter temperature, determining the PCM temperature, activating the PCM circuit if the PCM temperature is above a phase transition temperature of the PCM, and the internal combustion engine is in a switched-on operating state or the internal combustion engine is in a switched-off operating state and the catalytic converter temperature is below a light-off temperature of the catalytic converter.

A method of predicting the temperature of a resistive heating element in a heating system is provided. The method includes obtaining resistance characteristics of resistive heating elements and compensating for variations in the resistance characteristics over a temperature regime. The resistance characteristics of the resistive heating element include, but are not limited to, inaccuracies in resistance measurements due to strain-induced resistance variations, variations in resistance due to the rate of cooling, shifts in power output due to exposure to temperature, resistance to temperature relationships, non-monotonic resistance to temperature relationships, system measurement errors, and combinations of resistance characteristics. The method includes interpreting and calibrating resistance characteristics based on a priori measurements and in situ measurements.

Methods and systems are provided for operating a vehicle that includes an exhaust gas heat recovery device having an exhaust heat recovery device valve that may be selectively opened and closed. In one example, a method may include storing heat from exhaust gases in a phase changing material and releasing the stored heat to surroundings of an exhaust heat recovery device valve to reduce a possibility of the exhaust heat recovery device valve sticking.

Methods and systems are provided for a heat exchanger phase change material installed as a component of a variable exhaust tuning system. In one example, a method may include absorbing excess heat energy from exhaust gases during and after an engine-on event within a heat exchanger material, releasing heat energy stored in the heat exchanger material during and after an engine-off event, and heating an adjustable exhaust valve with the heat energy stored in the heat exchanger material.

A heating system includes at least one electric heater disposed within the fluid flow system. A control device includes a microprocessor and is configured to determine a temperature of the at least one electric heater based on a model and at least one input from the fluid flow system. The control device is configured to provide power to the at least one electric heater based on the temperature of the at least one electric heater.