Control of engine enthalpy for catalytic converter light-off

A motor vehicle comprising:

• an internal combustion engine (ICE);
• an exhaust system fluidly connected to the ICE and having a catalytic converter configured to treat exhaust gas from the ICE;
• an exhaust-flow control valve arranged in the exhaust system;
• and
• an electronic controller in operative communication with the ICE and the exhaust-flow control valve, programmed with an algorithm, and configured to execute the algorithm to:
• identify a start of the ICE requiring a light-off of the catalytic converter;
• regulate an exhaust-flow control valve to increase exhaust gas backpressure in the exhaust system in response to the identified start of the ICE;
• regulate combustion inside the ICE to increase enthalpy of the ICE;
• detect the light-off of the catalytic converter;
• regulate the exhaust-flow control valve to decrease the exhaust gas backpressure in the exhaust system in response to the detected light-off of the catalytic converter;
• and
• regulate combustion inside the ICE to decrease enthalpy of the ICE in response to the detected light-off of the catalytic converter.

A method of controlling light-off of a catalytic converter in an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine (ICE), the method comprising:

• identifying, via an electronic controller, a start of the ICE requiring a light-off of the catalytic converter;
• regulating an exhaust-flow control valve, via the electronic controller, to increase exhaust gas backpressure in the exhaust system in response to the identified start of the ICE;
• regulating combustion inside the ICE, via the electronic controller, to increase enthalpy of the ICE following the regulating of the exhaust-flow control valve to increase exhaust gas backpressure regulates at least one of temperature and mass of exhaust gas flow from the ICE into the exhaust system;
• detecting, via the electronic controller, the light-off of the catalytic converter;
• regulating the exhaust-flow control valve, via the electronic controller, to decrease the exhaust gas backpressure in the exhaust system in response to the detected light-off of the catalytic converter;
• and
• regulating combustion inside the ICE, via the electronic controller, to decrease enthalpy of the ICE in response to the detected light-off of the catalytic converter following the regulating of the exhaust-flow control valve to decrease the exhaust gas backpressure regulates at least one of temperature and mass of exhaust gas flow from the ICE into the exhaust system.