An exhaust purification system includes: a NOx reduction catalyst for reducing and purifying NOx in an exhaust gas; a catalyst regeneration control module for executing a catalyst regeneration process of restoring a NOx purification capacity of the NOx reduction catalyst by switching an air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas from a lean state to a rich state by using in parallel an air system control to reduce an intake air amount and an injection system control to increase a fuel injection amount; an exhaust gas temperature sensor that is provided on a downstream side of the NOx reduction catalyst on an exhaust passageway; a catalyst temperature estimating module for estimating a catalyst temperature of the NOx reduction catalyst; a temperature sensor value estimating module for estimating a sensor value of the exhaust gas temperature sensor; and an abnormality determination module for determining on an abnormality of a catalyst regeneration process.

A method to control an internal combustion engine having an exhaust duct and an exhaust gas after-treatment system comprising at least one catalytic converter arranged along the exhaust duct; an oxygen sensor housed along the exhaust duct and arranged upstream of said at least one catalytic converter; and a burner suited to introduce the exhaust gases into the exhaust duct upstream of the oxygen sensor the method provides the steps of identifying the operation phases in which the internal combustion engine is turned off and the burner is turned on so that the oxygen sensor is exclusively hit by the exhaust gases produced by the burner; acquiring the signal generated by the oxygen sensor; and using the signal generated by the oxygen sensor to determine the objective fuel flow rate and the objective air flow rate to be fed to the burner.

A method to control an internal combustion engine having an exhaust duct and an exhaust gas after-treatment system comprising at least one catalytic converter arranged along the exhaust duct; an oxygen sensor housed along the exhaust duct and arranged upstream of said at least one catalytic converter; and a burner suited to introduce the exhaust gases into the exhaust duct upstream of the oxygen sensor the method provides the steps of identifying the operation phases in which the internal combustion engine is turned off and the burner is turned on so that the oxygen sensor is exclusively hit by the exhaust gases produced by the burner; acquiring the signal generated by the oxygen sensor; and using the signal generated by the oxygen sensor to determine the objective fuel flow rate and the objective air flow rate to be fed to the burner.

There is provided: a NOx occlusion reduction-type catalyst that is provided in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine, occludes NOx in exhaust when the exhaust is in a lean state, and reduces and purifies the occluded NOx when the exhaust is in a rich state; an exhaust injector that is provided in the exhaust passage and is positioned further upstream than the NOx occlusion reduction-type catalyst; a NOx-purging control unit that performs NOx purging of reducing and purifying the NOx occluded in the NOx occlusion reduction-type catalyst by lowering the exhaust to a prescribed target lambda by fuel injection by the exhaust injector; and a NOx-purging-prohibition processing unit that inhibits performance of the NOx purging in a case where the exhaust cannot be lowered to the target lambda even if the fuel injection is performed at a maximum limit injection amount of the exhaust injector.

There is provided: a NOx occlusion reduction-type catalyst that is provided in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine, occludes NOx in exhaust when the exhaust is in a lean state, and reduces and purifies the occluded NOx when the exhaust is in a rich state; an exhaust injector that is provided in the exhaust passage and is positioned further upstream than the NOx occlusion reduction-type catalyst; a NOx-purging control unit that performs NOx purging of reducing and purifying the NOx occluded in the NOx occlusion reduction-type catalyst by lowering the exhaust to a prescribed target lambda by fuel injection by the exhaust injector; and a NOx-purging-prohibition processing unit that inhibits performance of the NOx purging in a case where the exhaust cannot be lowered to the target lambda even if the fuel injection is performed at a maximum limit injection amount of the exhaust injector.

A heating device for an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine and having: a tubular body, where a combustion chamber is obtained on the inside; a fuel injector, which injects fuel into the combustion chamber; at least one inlet opening, which can be connected to a fan so as to receive an air flow, which is directed to the combustion chamber and gets mixed with the fuel; a feeding channel, which receives air from the inlet opening, surrounds an end portion of the fuel injector and ends with a nozzle, which is arranged around an injection point of the fuel injector; and a spark plug, which is mounted through a side wall of the tubular body so as to trigger the combustion of a mixture of air and fuel. The fuel injector is configured to spray at least 80% of the fuel against an inner surface of the feeding channel.

A heating device for an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine and having: a tubular body, where a combustion chamber is obtained on the inside; a fuel injector, which injects fuel into the combustion chamber; at least one inlet opening, which can be connected to a fan so as to receive an air flow, which is directed to the combustion chamber and gets mixed with the fuel; a feeding channel, which receives air from the inlet opening, surrounds an end portion of the fuel injector and ends with a nozzle, which is arranged around an injection point of the fuel injector; and a spark plug, which is mounted through a side wall of the tubular body so as to trigger the combustion of a mixture of air and fuel. The fuel injector is configured to spray at least 80% of the fuel against an inner surface of the feeding channel.

When a catalyst temperature of a catalyst device is at or below a lower limit air-fuel ratio richness control is prohibited. When a first timing, where an estimated value of a NOx storage amount has reached an enrichment start threshold value, and a second timing, based on a set interval time in an enrichment interval time map, are both satisfied, the control is started. The second timing is corrected by multiplying the set interval time by an enrichment interval correction coefficient preset based on the catalyst temperature and a storage ratio of the estimated value of the NOx storage amount to an enrichment start threshold value of the NOx storage amount. The frequency of the air-fuel ratio richness control of a catalyst device configured to recover a purification capacity of a catalyst is reduced, and the catalyst temperature is raised while preventing white smoke development and hydrocarbon slip, to thereby achieve improvement in exhaust gas composition and improvement in fuel efficiency.

When a catalyst temperature of a catalyst device is at or below a lower limit air-fuel ratio richness control is prohibited. When a first timing, where an estimated value of a NOx storage amount has reached an enrichment start threshold value, and a second timing, based on a set interval time in an enrichment interval time map, are both satisfied, the control is started. The second timing is corrected by multiplying the set interval time by an enrichment interval correction coefficient preset based on the catalyst temperature and a storage ratio of the estimated value of the NOx storage amount to an enrichment start threshold value of the NOx storage amount. The frequency of the air-fuel ratio richness control of a catalyst device configured to recover a purification capacity of a catalyst is reduced, and the catalyst temperature is raised while preventing white smoke development and hydrocarbon slip, to thereby achieve improvement in exhaust gas composition and improvement in fuel efficiency.

The present invention is directed at the integration of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) into the exhaust stream of an internal combustion engine aided by the upstream injection of a fuel, such as a hydrocarbon fuel. The internal combustion engine may be advantageously operated in a lean condition while the SOFC receives the hydrocarbon fuel to promote and maintain optimized fuel cell operation.