A method, controller, and internal combustion engine including the controller and operable in accordance with the method by: determining a temperature of a working liquid in an engine block circuit (31, 35) of the internal combustion engine (10), the working liquid comprising a cooling liquid or a lubrication liquid; operating the internal combustion engine (10); engaging a thermal load responsive to the temperature of the liquid being below a first temperature threshold, wherein engaging the thermal load comprises at least one of increasing a pumping load of the internal combustion engine (10), or changing an air/fuel ratio, thereby adding heat to the engine block circuit (31, 35); controlling the thermal load as a function of the temperature of the liquid; and disengaging at least a portion of the thermal load responsive to the temperature of the liquid being above the low temperature limit.

Various embodiments of the teachings herein include methods for determining the sulfur content in an exhaust tract of a motor vehicle. The method may include: determining a change in the nitrogen oxide abatement efficiency of a coated particulate filter arranged in the exhaust tract and/or a determined ammonia storage capacity change of a coated particulate filter arranged in the exhaust tract; comparing the determined change to a threshold value; identifying an excessive sulfur content if the comparison shows that the determined change exceeds the threshold value; and undertaking one or more corrective actions in response to identifying an excessive sulfur content.

In the exhaust gas control system, the electronic control unit is configured to execute first air-fuel ratio control for controlling an air-fuel ratio of an air-fuel mixture in a part of cylinders to a lean air-fuel ratio and controlling an air-fuel ratio of an air-fuel mixture in the other part of the cylinders to a rich air-fuel ratio is executed. The electronic control unit is configured to execute second air-fuel ratio control to perform malfunction diagnosis. The electronic control unit is configured to execute second air-fuel ratio control when the execution of the first air-fuel ratio control is interrupted after the temperature of the three-way catalyst becomes equal to or higher than the diagnosis temperature.

An electronic control unit (ECU) of an internal combustion engine, which includes an air-fuel ratio sensor arranged at a downstream side of an exhaust purification catalyst, is configured to judge if a state of the air-fuel ratio sensor is normal or abnormal based on the first characteristic of change of air-fuel ratio and, if a judgment cannot be made based on the first characteristic, the ECU is configured to judge if the state of the air-fuel ratio sensor is normal or abnormal based on a second characteristic of change of air-fuel ratio. As a result, it is possible to suppress the effects of the change of state of the exhaust purification catalyst while accurately diagnosing the abnormality of deterioration of response of a downstream side air-fuel ratio sensor.

A straddle-type vehicle comprises an engine which generates driving power and emits an exhaust gas; an exhaust device including: a catalyst which cleans the exhaust gas, an inner tube in which the catalyst is disposed and through which the exhaust gas flows, the inner tube extending to a location downstream of the catalyst; and an outer tube which covers an outer peripheral surface of the inner tube in an axial direction of the inner tube, and has a muffling space through which the exhaust gas discharged from the inner tube is flowed to reduce an exhaust noise radiated from the engine; at least one exhaust pipe through which the exhaust gas is led to the catalyst; and a downstream oxygen sensor which detects an oxygen concentration of the exhaust gas after flowing through the catalyst, at a location downstream of the catalyst in the inner tube.

A torque request module determines a torque request for an engine based on a driver input. A cylinder control module determines a target fraction of a total number of cylinders of the engine to be activated based on the torque request. An air fuel imbalance (AFIM) module selectively commands that the cylinder control module set the target fraction based on a predetermined fraction of the total number of cylinders of the engine to be activated. The cylinder control module further: sets the target fraction based on the predetermined fraction in response to the command; and activates and deactivates opening of intake and exhaust valves of the cylinders of the engine based on the target fraction. The AFIM module further, while the target firing fraction is set based on the predetermined fraction, selectively diagnoses the presence of an AFIM fault based on samples of a signal from an oxygen sensor.

An ECM executes a catalyst early activation control at the cold start of an engine such that the activation of a catalyzer is promoted by opening a WGV. Further, the ECM performs a diagnosis process of diagnosing whether or not the WGV is stuck closed, based on the amplitude of the output fluctuation in an air-fuel-ratio sensor during execution of the catalyst early activation control.

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.

An exhaust gas sensor arrangement structure includes a catalyst which purifies exhaust gas of an engine; and exhaust gas sensors which detect an exhaust gas component of the engine; the catalyst is provided under the engine; and the exhaust gas sensors are provided within a width of the engine in a front/rear direction so that the catalyst is provided between the exhaust gas sensors at front and rear sides of the catalyst.

Systems and methods of preventing an event occurrence or mitigating effects of an event occurrence in an industrial facility are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a first input is received from a first sensor and, based at least in part on the first input, an initial action is automatically generated. In response to the initial action, a second input is received from a second sensor and, based at least in part of the received first and second inputs, a likelihood of an event occurrence is determined. Based at least in part of the determined likelihood, a remedial action configured to prevent the occurrence of the event occurrence is automatically generated. In some embodiments, the remedial action is generated in real-time and can be directed to a process condition, environmental condition, or secondary source.