eCAT inferred heater temperature control to enable high power heating during low flow conditions

A system, comprising:

• an engine coupled to an exhaust passage;
• a catalyst arranged downstream of an electric heating element along the exhaust passage relative to a direction of exhaust gas flow;
• and
• a controller with computer-readable instructions stored on memory that cause the controller to:
• responsive to an exhaust mass flow less than a threshold flow, model an electrical resistance of the electric heating element when the exhaust mass flow is less than a threshold flow;
• determine a power demand of the electric heating element based on a deviation of the modeled electrical resistance of the electric heating element from a measured electrical resistance of the electric heating element;
• estimate a temperature of the electric heating element based on feedback from a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor in combination with the exhaust mass flow;
• and
• operate the electric heating element based on a comparison between the temperature of the electric heating element and a threshold element temperature.

A method for an aftertreatment system, comprising:

• in response to an exhaust mass flow being greater than or equal to a threshold flow, estimating a temperature of a catalyst based on the exhaust mass flow, a plurality of heat transfer coefficients, an upstream exhaust temperature, a downstream exhaust temperature, and a heat release of a chemical reaction between exhaust gas and the catalyst;
• controlling an electrical power supplied to an electric heating element in response to the temperature of the catalyst;
• in response to the exhaust mass flow being less than the threshold flow,
• modeling an electrical resistance of the electric heating element;
• determining a power requirement of the electric heating element based on a deviation of the modeled electrical resistance of the electric heating element from a measured electrical resistance of the electric heating element;
• estimating a temperature of the electric heating element based on the exhaust mass flow, a heat transfer coefficient different than the plurality of heat transfer coefficients, the upstream exhaust temperature, and the downstream exhaust temperature;
• and
• controlling the electrical power supplied to the electric heating element in response to a comparison between the temperature of the electric heating element and a threshold element temperature.