In a control apparatus, a heater adjuster performs a regeneration task of causing a heater to heat a sensing member of a particulate matter sensor to burn particulate matter deposited on the sensing member to thereby remove the particulate matter from the sensing member. The heater adjuster performs a deposition reduction task of maintaining, for a predetermined duration, a temperature of the sensing member at a deposition reduction temperature that reduces additional particulate-matter deposition on the sensing member. The predetermined duration is defined from completion of a regeneration task to a time when an environmental condition around the particulate matter sensor is determined to be stable. The heater adjuster stops the heater from heating the sensing member if a condition determiner determines that the environmental condition around the particulate matter sensor is stable.

An exhaust gas treatment device for arranging in an exhaust gas section of a motor vehicle that includes a heating disk which is assigned to an exhaust gas aftertreatment component. The heating disk is configured by way of a flat heating element and a holder which is coupled to the former. The holder extends over the cross-sectional area of the heating element, and the holder itself is of disk-shaped configuration. The inner face of the heating disk is configured by way of arcuate spokes which are coupled irregularly to one another.

An aftertreatment system includes a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system, a heater, and a controller that determines a rise in temperature of exhaust gas at an outlet of the heater for a plurality of power levels, predicts a first temperature of the exhaust gas at the outlet of the heater based on the rise in temperature, predicts a second temperature of the exhaust gas at a location of the SCR system based on the first temperature, compares the second temperature for each of the plurality of power levels with a target temperature of the exhaust gas at the inlet of the SCR system, selects one of the plurality of power levels based on the comparison, and adjusts operation of the heater based on the selected one of the plurality of power levels to achieve the target temperature of the exhaust gas at the inlet of the SCR system.

A method for providing a power supply for at least one electrically heatable catalyst of a motor vehicle situated in an exhaust gas tract, wherein the motor vehicle comprises a first battery, by means of which a first voltage U.sub.1 is generated, and a second battery, by way of which a second voltage U.sub.2 is generated, wherein the at least one catalyst during a start phase immediately following the start of an internal combustion engine of the motor vehicle is supplied by a power P.sub.1 provided by the first battery such that the voltage U.sub.1 of the first battery is imposed on the at least one catalyst, wherein the at least one catalyst is additionally supplied during the start phase by a power P.sub.2 provided by the second battery such that the voltage U.sub.2 of the second battery is transformed by a DC converter to the value of the voltage U.sub.1 which is imposed on the at least one catalyst.

Systems, devices, methods and programs for reducing emissions from engines are provided. For example, one system for reducing emissions from engines comprises a heating controller coupled to an energy storage device (ESD). The heating controller is configured to control a heating element to heat one or more components of an after-treatment system using energy from the ESD under a first condition and to control the heating element to stop heating the one or more components of the after-treatment system when a second condition is satisfied. Additionally, another system for reducing emissions from engines comprises a controller detecting a decrease in a demanded torque from an engine and an ISG. The controller is then configured to operate a clutch to disengage the engine from the ISG, if after removing fuel from the engine, the sensed speed of the engine is above a threshold.

A vehicle includes an internal combustion engine, an electrically-heated catalyst device provided in an exhaust passage thereof, and an electronic control unit configured to control base material electric power supply supplied to a conductive base material. The catalyst device includes the conductive base material that generates heat upon energization, and a catalyst heated through the conductive base material. The electronic control unit determines whether the conductive base material is in a stagnant period, where temperature of the conductive base material partially stagnates in a prescribed temperature zone, the stagnant period occurring when water is present inside the catalyst device in a process of increase in temperature of the conductive base material. When determining that the conductive base material is in the stagnant period, the electronic control unit controls the base material electric power supply to be lower than when determining otherwise.

A method of controlling a heating element for providing heat to a catalyst of a catalytic converter, the method comprising: determining a catalyst performance characteristic as a function of time, and varying the amount of heating provided by the heating element in response to a change in the catalyst performance characteristic being greater than a predetermined amount.

A catalyst having an oxygen storage capacity is provided in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine. A catalyst temperature calculating device calculates an oxygen storage amount of the catalyst to a value greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to than a maximum value based on an amount of oxygen and an amount of unburned fuel components in a fluid flowing into the catalyst. A temperature calculation process calculates a temperature of the catalyst assuming that an amount of temperature rise of the catalyst is larger when an increase amount of the oxygen storage amount is large than when the increase amount of the oxygen storage amount is small in a case where the oxygen storage amount increases.

A method for controlling an exhaust aftertreatment system for a vehicle includes: determining, by a controller, whether or not a driving state of the vehicle satisfies a clogging determination condition; estimating, by the controller, a normal temperature of a rear end of a catalytic converter upon determining that the clogging determination condition is satisfied; calculating, by the controller, clogging indexes using an actual temperature of the rear end of the catalytic converter measured by a temperature sensor and the estimated normal temperature; determining, by the controller, whether or not it is necessary to settle clogging of the catalytic converter by comparing the clogging indexes with reference ranges; and executing, by the controller, a clogging settlement mode upon determining that it is necessary to settle clogging of the catalytic converter.

An exhaust gas treatment device includes an exhaust gas line where a combustion exhaust gas discharged from a power generation facility flows through, an exhaust gas line where a second combustion exhaust gas discharged from a second power generation facility flows through, exhaust gas exhaust line disposed by branching off from exhaust gas line, discharging a part of combustion exhaust gases as exhaust combustion exhaust gases, a nitrogen oxide removing unit removing nitrogen oxide contained in an integrated combustion exhaust gas that integrates the combustion exhaust gases, an integrated waste heat recovery boiler recovering waste heat from the integrated combustion exhaust gas, and a CO.sub.2 recovery unit recovering CO.sub.2 contained in the integrated combustion exhaust gas by using CO.sub.2 absorbing liquid.