A control apparatus for a vehicle controls the supply of electric power from a battery to first and/or second heat generating element(s), before starting of the internal combustion engine. When a suppliable amount of electric power is equal to or less than a first amount of electric power, the control apparatus controls the supply of electric power so that a whole amount of electric power within the suppliable amount of electric power is supplied to the second heat generating element, whereas when the suppliable amount of electric power is larger than the first amount of electric power but is equal to or less than a second amount of electric power, the control apparatus controls the supply of electric power so that the whole amount of electric power within the suppliable amount of electric power is supplied to the first heat generating element.

Methods and systems are provided for partially regenerating a lean No.sub.x trap in response to an engine shutdown request. In one example, an engine shutdown is delayed so that a low-temperature storing region of the lean No.sub.x trap is regenerated without regenerating a high-temperature storing region of the lean No.sub.x trap.

A system and method for monitoring the temperature in a vehicle after-treatment system is provided. The system includes one or more temperature sensors positioned in the vehicle after-treatment system and an electronic control unit (ECU) configured by programming instructions encoded in computer readable media to execute a method. The method includes monitoring the temperature presented by the one or more temperature sensors, executing a lower oxygen combustion strategy for a slower exothermic reaction when the temperature exceeds a first threshold level, and deactivating the lower oxygen combustion strategy when the temperature drops below a second threshold level.

A reductant delivery system includes an electronic control unit coupled with each of an electronically controlled reductant injector and an electronically controlled pump, and structured to mitigate obstruction of a reductant injector in an exhaust system of an engine. The electronic control unit is further structured to receive data indicative of a pump duty cycle, and calculate a diagnostic value based on pump duty cycle associated with injection of different amounts of reductant, compare the diagnostic value with a threshold value, and output an error signal to trigger an obstructed-injector mitigation action.

A control apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to: execute increasing a temperature of an exhaust gas control apparatus at a second temperature increase speed as a regeneration control when the temperature of the exhaust gas control apparatus is in a second temperature range; control the temperature of an exhaust gas control apparatus during an idle operation so as to be equal to or smaller than the temperature of the exhaust gas control apparatus when the internal combustion engine enters an idle operation state as a temperature increase suppression control when the temperature of the exhaust gas control apparatus during a regeneration control is in the second temperature range and the internal combustion engine is in the idle operation state.

Methods for monitoring thermal characteristics of oxidation catalyst (OC) catalytic composition(s) (CC) are provided, and comprise communicating exhaust gas to the OC, and determining a temperature change of the CC for the time frame based on a plurality of heat sources including heat imparted to the CC from exhaust gas enthalpy, heat imparted to the CC via oxidation of HC and/or CO in exhaust gas, heat imparted to the CC via water present in the exhaust gas condensing on the CC or heat removed from the CC via water evaporating from the CC, and optionally heat exchanged between the CC and the ambient environment. Heat imparted to the CC via water condensing on the CC can be determined using an increasing relative humidity proximate the CC, and heat removed from the CC via water evaporating from the CC can be determined using a decreasing relative humidity proximate the CC.

A method to determine soot mass of a gasoline engine powered automobile vehicle includes: predefining a time period between approximately 50 seconds to 200 seconds defining a cold start operation of a gasoline engine; determining a critical engine cold start temperature at a time defining a start of the cold start operation; identifying a cold start soot mass value from a lookup table based on the predefined time period and the critical engine cold start temperature; calculating a hot engine soot mass value for a hot engine operating time; repeating the calculating step for at least one next successive hot engine operating time; and adding the cold start soot mass value to the hot engine soot mass value for the hot engine operating time and the at least one next successive hot engine operating time to define a total soot mass value.

A method for calculating reaction heat in an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine by means of a model, comprising a first model component and a second model component, wherein the first model component refers to a calculation of exhaust components flowing from valves of the internal combustion engine, the second model component relates to the entire exhaust system, and total masses from the first model component are divided along the exhaust system onto the individual components of the exhaust system.

When the temperature of the exhaust gas flowing into an NSR catalyst exceeds a specific threshold temperature that is determined on the basis of the cetane number of fuel in such a way that the specific threshold temperature is set lower when the cetane number of the fuel is low than when it is high, fuel is supplied to the exhaust gas by fuel supply device to perform an NO.sub.X reduction process for the NSR catalyst. If the quantity of heat generated in the NSR catalyst per unit time is smaller than a specific value while the NO.sub.X reduction process is being performed, the NO.sub.X reduction process in progress is suspended, and the NO.sub.X reduction process is performed later on when the temperature of the exhaust gas flowing into the NSR catalyst exceeds an updated threshold temperature higher than the specific threshold temperature.

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.