Systems and methods for controlling a gasoline urea selective catalytic reductant catalyst are described. In one example, an observer is provided that corrects an estimate of an amount of NH.sub.3 that is stored in a SCR. The amount of NH.sub.3 that is stored in the SCR is a basis for generating additional NH.sub.3 or ceasing generation of NH.sub.3.

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 method of calculating a nitrogen oxide (NOx) mass reduced from a lean NOx trap (LNT) during regeneration includes calculating a C3H6 mass flow used to reduce the NOx among a C3H6 mass flow flowing into the LNT of an exhaust purification device, calculating a NH3 mass flow used to reduce the NOx among a NH3 mass flow generated in the LNT, calculating a reduced NOx mass flow based on the C3H6 mass flow used to reduce the NOx and the NH3 mass flow used to reduce the NOx, and calculating the reduced NOx mass by integrating the reduced NOx mass flow over a regeneration period.

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.

A reduction-causing agent supply device includes a tank to store a reduction-causing agent, a pumping unit to pump the reduction-causing agent, a reduction-causing agent supply passage to supply the reduction-causing agent, an injection nozzle to inject the reduction-causing agent into an exhaust pipe, a drawing-back unit to draw the reduction-causing agent toward the tank, and a controller. After stop of an engine, the controller performs: reduction-causing agent drawing-back process of drawing the reduction-causing agent toward the tank and introducing exhaust gas from the injection nozzle into the reduction-causing agent supply passage; and gas discharge process of supplying the reduction-causing agent to compress the exhaust gas inside the reduction-causing agent supply passage, discharging the compressed exhaust gas from the injection nozzle, and closing a valve of the injection nozzle before the reduction-causing agent reaches the injection nozzle.

A method of calculating a nitrogen oxide (NOx) mass adsorbed in a lean NOx trap (LNT) of an exhaust purification device includes calculating a NOx mass flow stored in the LNT, calculating a NOx mass flow thermally released from the LNT, calculating a NOx mass flow released from the LNT at the rich air/fuel ratio, calculating a NOx mass flow chemically reacting with the reductant at the LNT, and integrating a value obtained by subtracting the NOx mass flow thermally released from the LNT, the NOx mass flow released from the LNT at the rich air/fuel ratio, and the NOx mass flow chemically reacting with the reductant at the LNT from the NOx mass flow stored in the LNT.

An exhaust system for vehicles and a control method for the system are disclosed. The exhaust system for vehicles includes: a first channel including a plurality of first unit flow paths formed by stacking a plurality of heat exchanger plates provided with heat exchanger fins; a second channel provided in parallel with the first channel and including a plurality of heat exchanger tubes respectively forming a plurality of second unit flow paths having a greater cross-sectional area than a cross-sectional area of the first unit flow paths; an opening and closing unit provided to selectively shield the first channel and the second channel; and a controller provided to control the opening and closing unit according to driving conditions of a vehicle so as to control flows of exhaust gas to the first channel and the second channel.

A control device for an engine, the engine includes an exhaust gas control apparatus that is configured to store NOx and react NOx with a reduction agent. The control device includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to: (i) execute a rich spike control, the rich spike control is a control executed to temporarily change an in-cylinder air-fuel ratio from a leaner air-fuel ratio than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio to the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio or a richer air-fuel ratio than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, and (ii) vary an overlap amount of an intake valve and an exhaust valve such that the overlap amount is less during non-execution of the rich spike control than during execution of the rich spike control, in an operation range where a pressure of the intake port becomes higher than a pressure of the exhaust port.

Various methods and systems are provided for controlling emissions. In one example, a controller is configured to respond to a sensed exhaust oxygen concentration by changing a fuel injection timing to maintain particulate matter (PM) within a range, and then adjusting an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) amount based on NOx sensor output and based on the change in fuel injection timing.

A method is provided for determining exhaust mass flow through a diesel particulate filter (DPF) in an engine arrangement including an engine and an exhaust after treatment system (EATS) comprising the DPF. The method comprises determining soot loading and soot distribution in the DPF, measuring pressure drop over the DPF, measuring pressure in the DPF, measuring temperature in the DPF, and determining exhaust mass flow through the DPF as a function of the measured pressure drop, the measured pressure, the measured temperature, and the soot loading and soot distribution. An arrangement is also provided for determining exhaust mass flow through a diesel particulate filter. A method for controlling one or more engine components, and an engine, are also provided.