Abstract: A device for regulating the cooling of a motor-vehicle internal-combustion engine has a fluid-cooling circuit coupled to a fluid pump feeding an installation for heating and/or air conditioning the passenger compartment of the vehicle, with adjustable air-heating parameters, including an air heater. It also has a device for establishing an engine-starting state on the basis of chosen conditions and a device which acts in this starting state for either stopping the pump if the heating demand is below a certain threshold or else for driving the pump as a function of a saturation rotational speed.

Abstract: This invention relates to an exhaust system with a catalytic converter for the exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle. The system comprises at least one heat exchanger having a cooling fluid therein, selector means for selectively directing the exhaust gases, wholly or partly, into the heat exchanger in order to cool them, and means for using the heat of the heat exchanger cooling fluid to heat the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The heat exchanger may be located upstream or downstream of the catalytic converter. The invention provides depollution of the exhaust gases and heating of the passenger compartment.

Abstract: A catalytic converter includes a casing connected to the output from an exhaust gas and residue manifold of an engine, in particular an engine of a motor vehicle. The casing contains arrangements for oxidizing the exhaust gases and residues and for trapping the oxidized gases and residues. A central part of the casing houses cooling arrangements for reducing the temperature of the gases and residues upstream of the trapping arrangements below a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: An exhaust recirculation of gases in internal combustion engines, notably for automobiles, which has a catalytic converter, recycling apparatus for recycling the exhaust gases and heat recovers apparatus for recovering heat from the exhaust gases. A single heat exchanger is arranged for cooling the recycled exhaust gases and recovering the heat energy from the exhaust gases for heating the passenger compartment of the vehicle and for protecting the catalytic converter from excessively high exhaust temperatures. Valves for diverting exhaust gases, a back-pressure valve and an EGR valve are controlled for this purpose by control electronics. The invention is particularly applicable to direct-injection petrol or diesel engines or to lean-mixture petrol engines.