A method is disclosed to control an exhaust gas after-treatment system with at least one catalytic converter arranged along an exhaust duct and a burner, which is suited to introduce exhaust gases into the exhaust duct, wherein inside the burner there is defined a combustion chamber, which receives fresh air through an air feeding circuit and fuel from an injector; the method comprises housing a temperature and pressure sensor interposed between a pumping device and the burner or leaving the burner; acquiring the pressure signal generated by the combustion inside the combustion chamber and detected by said temperature and pressure sensor; and controlling the combustion inside the combustion chamber as a function of said pressure signal.

A method is disclosed to control an exhaust gas after-treatment system with at least one catalytic converter arranged along an exhaust duct and a burner, which is suited to introduce exhaust gases into the exhaust duct, wherein inside the burner there is defined a combustion chamber, which receives fresh air through an air feeding circuit and fuel from an injector; the method comprises housing a temperature and pressure sensor interposed between a pumping device and the burner or leaving the burner; acquiring the pressure signal generated by the combustion inside the combustion chamber and detected by said temperature and pressure sensor; and controlling the combustion inside the combustion chamber as a function of said pressure signal.

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 calculating the thermal power required to reach the nominal operating temperature of said at least one catalytic converter obtained with an objective value of the air/fuel ratio value; and determining both the objective fuel flow rate and the objective air flow rate to be fed to the burner to obtain the thermal power required to reach the nominal operating temperature of said at least one catalytic converter.

A method to control an internal combustion engine provided with an exhaust system for the exhaust gases of a vehicle having an exhaust duct and an exhaust gas after-treatment system comprising at least one catalytic converter arranged along the exhaust duct; a burner suited to introduce the exhaust gases into the exhaust duct to speed up the heating of said at least one catalytic converter, wherein a combustion chamber is defined inside the burner which receives fuel from an injector, designed to inject the fuel inside the combustion chamber and the fresh air by means of an air feeding circuit provided with a pumping device that feeds the air, a shut-off valve arranged upstream of the burner and a mass air flow sensor interposed between the pumping device and the shut-off valve; the method provides the following steps: calculating the thermal power required to reach the nominal operating temperature of said at least one catalytic converter; determining the objective air flow rate to be fed to the burner to obtain said thermal power required to reach the nominal operating temperature of said at least one catalytic converter; determining the nominal number of revolutions with which to operate the pumping device by means of a map depending on the objective air flow rate, on the ambient pressure, on the ambient temperature and on the pressure of the air entering the burner; determining a closed-loop contribution of the number of revolutions with which to operate the pumping device by means of a PID controller which tries to zero a difference between the objective air flow rate and the air flow rate detected by the mass air flow sensor; determining a further contribution of the number of revolutions with which to operate the pumping device depending on the integral action of the PID controller under stationary conditions; and determining the actual number of revolutions with which to operate the pumping device by the sum of the nominal number of revolutions, the closed-loop contribution of the number of revolutions with which to operate the pumping device and the further contribution of the number of revolutions with which to operate the pumping device.

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 exhaust gas after-treatment system for an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine having at least one catalytic converter and a burner, which is suited to introduce exhaust gases into an exhaust duct so as to speed up the heating of said at least one catalytic converter; the method entails inserting an indicator in a dashboard of a vehicle provided with the internal combustion engine so that it provides a driver of the vehicle with indications concerning the burner; and keeping the indicator turned on during a starting step, during which the temperature of said at least one catalytic converter is lower than an activation temperature.

A method to control an exhaust gas after-treatment system for an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine having at least one catalytic converter and a burner, which is suited to introduce exhaust gases into an exhaust duct so as to speed up the heating of said at least one catalytic converter; the method entails inserting an indicator in a dashboard of a vehicle provided with the internal combustion engine so that it provides a driver of the vehicle with indications concerning the burner; and keeping the indicator turned on during a starting step, during which the temperature of said at least one catalytic converter is lower than an activation temperature.

A heating device for an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine and having: a tubular body, which contains a combustion chamber and is delimited by a first base wall and by a second base wall; a fuel injector, which is mounted through the first base wall; at least one inlet opening, which can be connected to a fan so as to receive an air flow; a feeding channel, which receives air from the inlet opening, surrounds an end portion of the fuel injector and ends with a nozzle arranged around an injection point of the fuel injector; a spark plug, which is mounted through a side wall of the tubular body; and a flame holder body, which is at least partially arranged inside the feeding channel in the area of the nozzle, is coaxial to the feeding channel and to the fuel injector and is in front of the injection point of the fuel injector.

A heating device for an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine and having: a tubular body, which contains a combustion chamber and is delimited by a first base wall and by a second base wall; a fuel injector, which is mounted through the first base wall; at least one inlet opening, which can be connected to a fan so as to receive an air flow; a feeding channel, which receives air from the inlet opening, surrounds an end portion of the fuel injector and ends with a nozzle arranged around an injection point of the fuel injector; a spark plug, which is mounted through a side wall of the tubular body; and a flame holder body, which is at least partially arranged inside the feeding channel in the area of the nozzle, is coaxial to the feeding channel and to the fuel injector and is in front of the injection point of the fuel injector.

A method (200) for operating an exhaust gas burner (120) in an exhaust section (102) of an internal combustion engine (110), comprising introducing a purging fluid comprising at least air (20) into the exhaust gas burner (120) during a purging operating phase (205), which lies outside the time of a normal operating phase (201) of the exhaust gas burner (120), and discharging a discharge mixture formed using the purging fluid from the exhaust gas burner (120), wherein the exhaust gas burner (120) is operated for the purpose of heating a component (130, 150) of the exhaust section (102) to its operating temperature during the normal operating phase (201). A processor unit (140) and a computer program for carrying out such a method (200) are furthermore proposed.