Abstract: A concentration of sulfur components contained in fuel is determined, without adding any special sensor for determining the sulfur concentration of the fuel.

Abstract: A particulate filter arranged in an engine exhaust passage is provided with alternately arranged exhaust gas inflow and outflow passages and porous partition walls which separate these passages from each other. In each partition wall, a coated zone where a coated layer with an average pore size smaller than that of a partition wall substrate is used to cover the substrate surface and a non-coated zone downstream of the coated zone where the substrate surface is not covered by said coated layer, are defined, and the ash in the exhaust gas can pass through the partition wall in the non-coated zone. Judgment processing which judges if a particulate matter trapping rate of the particulate filter has fallen below an allowable lower limit value is performed. PM removal processing is performed when it is judged that the particulate matter trapping rate has fallen below the allowable lower limit value.

Abstract: An exhaust cleaning filter for collecting particulate matter contained in exhaust gas and suitable for being disposed in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine is provided with: an exhaust gas inflow passage and an exhaust gas outflow passage disposed in alternating fashion; and a porous partition wall for setting the exhaust gas inflow passage and the exhaust gas outflow passage at a distance from each other. A small pore region is sectioned off on the upstream side of the partition wall and a large pore region is sectioned off on the downstream side of the partition wall. The average pore diameter of the partition wall in the large pore region is set to be greater than the average pore diameter of the partition wall in the small pore region, and is set so that ash contained in the exhaust gas is able to pass through the partition wall.

Abstract: A temperature sensor includes temperature detecting means and at least one of a catalyst and an adsorbent applied to the surface of the temperature detecting means. At least one of the catalyst and the adsorbent catalyzes an exothermic reaction of a reactant in gas on the temperature detecting means. A temperature that is increased by the exothermic reaction is detected by the temperature detecting means. The catalytic efficiency for the exothermic reaction of at least one of the catalyst and the adsorbent is reduced by sulfur poisoning. The temperature sensor is disposed upstream of an exhaust purification system. Accordingly, it is determined that the temperature sensor is subjected to sulfur poisoning if the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is below a prescribed temperature.

Abstract: An exhaust gas purification filter that is suitable for arrangement in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine and for collecting particulate matter contained in exhaust gas, comprises: exhaust gas inflow passages and exhaust gas outflow passages that are arranged alternately; and porous partitions that separate the exhaust gas inflow passages and the exhaust gas outflow passages from each other. Each of the partitions is divided into a coated zone in which a surface of a partition base is coated with a coating layer having a smaller average pore diameter than an average pore diameter of the partition base and a non-coated zone that is located on a downstream side of the coated zone and in which a surface of the partition base is not coated with the coating layer. A pore diameter of the partitions is set such that ash contained in the exhaust gas is able to pass through the partitions in the non-coated zone.

Abstract: A particulate filter arranged in an engine exhaust passage is provided with alternately arranged exhaust gas inflow and outflow passages and porous partition walls separating these passages from each other. In each partition wall, a coated zone where a coated layer with an average pore size smaller than that of a partition wall substrate is used to cover the substrate surface and a non-coated zone downstream of the coated zone where the substrate surface is not covered by the coated layer are defined, and the ash in the exhaust gas can pass through the partition wall in the non-coated zone. The quantity of particulate matter trapped at the non-coated zones is calculated, and PM removal control for removing particulate matter from the particulate filter is performed when it is judged that the quantity of trapped particulate matter is greater than an allowable upper limit amount.

Abstract: In an internal combustion engine, inside of an engine exhaust passage, a hydrocarbon feed valve (15) and an exhaust treatment catalyst (13) are arranged. On a substrate (45) of the exhaust treatment catalyst (13), a coat layer comprised of at least two layers of a top coat layer (46) and a bottom coat layer (47) is formed. The top coat layer (46) is comprised of an exhaust purification catalyst for reacting NOx contained in exhaust gas and reformed hydrocarbons, while the bottom coat layer (47) is comprised of an NOx absorption catalyst. The concentration of hydrocarbons which flows into the exhaust treatment catalyst (13) is made to vibrate within a predetermined range of amplitude and within a predetermined range of period. Due to this, NOx contained in exhaust gas and NOx desorbed from the NOx absorption catalyst (47) are reduced in the exhaust purification catalyst (46).

Abstract: A wall flow type particulate filter is arranged inside the exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine where combustion is performed under an excess of oxygen. The particulate filter carries a solid acid. The solid acid has an acid strength which is higher than the acid strength of sulfurous acid and lower than the acid strength of sulfuric acid. To remove the ash from the particulate filter, ash atomization processing for rendering the state of the particulate filter a state where the exhaust gas which flows into the particulate filter is lowered in concentration of oxygen and the particulate filter is raised in temperature is temporarily performed.

Abstract: A particulate filter arranged in an engine exhaust passage is provided with alternately arranged exhaust gas inflow and outflow passages and porous partition walls which separate these passages from each other. In each partition wall, a coated zone where a coated layer with an average pore size smaller than that of a partition wall substrate is used to cover the substrate surface and a non-coated zone downstream of the coated zone where the substrate surface is not covered by said coated layer, are defined, and the ash in the exhaust gas can pass through the partition wall in the non-coated zone. Judgment processing which judges if a particulate matter trapping rate of the particulate filter has fallen below an allowable lower limit value is performed. PM removal processing is performed when it is judged that the particulate matter trapping rate has fallen below the allowable lower limit value.

Abstract: A wall flow type particulate filter is arranged inside the exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine where combustion is performed under an excess of oxygen. The particulate filter carries an ash atomization agent. To remove the ash from the particulate filter, ash atomization processing for rendering the state of the particulate filter a state where the exhaust gas which flows into the particulate filter is lowered in concentration of oxygen and the particulate filter is raised in temperature is temporarily performed.

Abstract: A wall flow type particulate filter is arranged inside the exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine where combustion is performed under an excess of oxygen. The particulate filter carries a solid acid. The solid acid has a Hammett acidity function smaller than ?0.83 and larger than ?12 in the standard state. To remove the ash from the particulate filter, ash atomization processing for rendering the state of the particulate filter a state where the exhaust gas which flows into the particulate filter is lowered in concentration of oxygen and the particulate filter is raised in temperature is temporarily performed.

Abstract: In an internal combustion engine, inside of an engine exhaust passage, an NOx adsorption part and an NOx purification part are arranged. The NOx purification part has the property of reducing NOx which is contained in exhaust gas if the concentration of hydrocarbons is made to vibrate by within a predetermined range of amplitude and within a predetermined range of period. When NOx is to be desorbed from the NOx adsorption part, the current NOx which is contained in the exhaust gas and the NOx which is desorbed from the NOx adsorption part are reduced by making the concentration of hydrocarbons of the NOx purification part vibrate by the amplitude and period which are set for the current engine operating state, at least of which (?T·k) has been corrected so that the amount of hydrocarbons becomes greater.

Abstract: A wall flow type particulate filter (24) adapted to be arranged in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine in which combustion is performed in an excess of oxygen carries a solid acid. The solid acid has an acid strength which is higher than the acid strength of sulfurous acid and lower than the acid strength of sulfuric acid.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to suppress deposition of ash in a wall-flow particulate filter while curtailing drops in a trapping rate of PM. To attain the above object, the invention provides a wall-flow particulate filter delimited by porous partition walls having pores of a size that allows ash and ash aggregates to pass therethrough. In the filter, a coat layer having pores smaller than the pores of the partition walls is provided, at a region of the partition walls, from an upstream end thereof up to a position before a downstream end thereof.

Abstract: An exhaust purification system of an internal combustion engine, which includes: a silver-alumina-based catalyst, which is arranged in an engine exhaust system and, when an air-fuel ratio of exhaust gas is leaner than a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, releases adsorbed NO2 at a first set temperature and adsorbed NO at a second set temperature, a secondary air feed passage configured to suppress a temperature rise of the silver-alumina-based catalyst; and an electronic control unit, that: controls the air flow through the secondary air feed passage to: when the silver-alumina-based catalyst has reached a third set temperature, suppress a temperature rise of the silver-alumina-based catalyst to maintain the silver-alumina-based catalyst near the third set temperature, and then lift the suppression of the temperature rise of the silver-alumina-based catalyst so that at least part of the NO adsorbed at the silver-alumina-based catalyst, is oxidized to NO2 to be adsorbed at the silver-alumina-based catalyst.

Abstract: In an exhaust gas purification apparatus of an internal combustion engine, there is provided a technique capable of suppressing a reduction in exhaust gas purification performance. The apparatus includes: an exhaust gas purification catalyst (6) that is arranged in an exhaust passage of the internal combustion engine for purifying an exhaust gas; an adsorption device (5) that is arranged at an upstream side of the exhaust gas purification catalyst, rises in temperature up to an upper limit temperature due to heat generated by adsorption thereto of an incoming first component, and falls in temperature after its temperature has reached said upper limit temperature; and a heat generating component supply unit (10) that supplies a second component which generates reaction heat in the exhaust gas purification catalyst, before the temperature of the adsorption device begins to fall.

Abstract: An exhaust purification system of an internal combustion engine of the present invention comprises a silver-alumina-based catalyst device arranged in the engine exhaust system. When a temperature of the silver-alumina-based catalyst device becomes a second set temperature T2 lower than a first set temperature T1 at which the silver-alumina-based catalyst device releases NO2, and releases NO, the silver-alumina-based catalyst device is heated such that a temperature elevation rate thereof is increased to make the temperature T of the silver-alumina-based catalyst device be a third set temperature T3 between the first set temperature T1 and the second set temperature T2.

Abstract: A wall flow type particulate filter is arranged inside the exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine where combustion is performed under an excess of oxygen. The particulate filter carries a solid acid. The solid acid has an acid strength which is higher than the acid strength of sulfurous acid and lower than the acid strength of sulfuric acid. To remove the ash from the particulate filter, ash atomization processing for rendering the state of the particulate filter a state where the exhaust gas which flows into the particulate filter is lowered in concentration of oxygen and the particulate filter is raised in temperature is temporarily performed.

Abstract: A method of removing ash from a wall flow type particulate filter which is arranged in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine in which combustion is performed in an excess of oxygen for trapping particulate matter in exhaust gas, using a solid acid which is carried on the particulate filter, renders the state of the particulate filter a state where the exhaust gas which flows into the particulate filter is lowered in concentration of oxygen and the particulate filter is raised in temperature, and then renders the state of the particulate filter a state where the exhaust gas which flows into the particulate filter in an oxidizing atmosphere contains SOx.

Abstract: A wall flow type particulate filter is arranged inside the exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine where combustion is performed under an excess of oxygen. The particulate filter carries an ash atomization agent. To remove the ash from the particulate filter, ash atomization processing for rendering the state of the particulate filter a state where the exhaust gas which flows into the particulate filter is lowered in concentration of oxygen and the particulate filter is raised in temperature is temporarily performed.