Regenerating a diesel engine exhaust gas aftertreatment device

摘要

A method of regenerating an exhaust aftertreatment device 50 connected to a diesel engine 20 of a hybrid vehicle 5 comprises applying an electrical load in the form of an oil heater 52 to an electric generator 24 driven by the diesel engine 20 during regeneration of the exhaust aftertreatment device 50 in order to increase the temperature of the exhaust gas flowing to the exhaust aftertreatment device 50 and increase the temperature of the oil flowing through the diesel engine 20 so as to allow the use of less late injected fuel to regenerate the exhaust aftertreatment device 50 and reduce the transfer of fuel to the oil. The electrical load may also comprise a battery 28 the charge of which is allowed to fall to a low level before regeneration is required.