Control apparatus and control method for internal combustion engine

A control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, comprising:

• a purge control unit that performs purge control to cause fuel evaporative emission to be introduced into an intake passage so as to attain a purge flow rate based on a pressure in the intake passage, to which the fuel evaporative emission is supplied;
• a fuel cut return rich control unit that performs fuel cut return rich control to set a target air-fuel ratio to a rich air-fuel ratio when returning from fuel cut and to control a fuel supply rate in a feedback manner on the basis of the target air-fuel ratio, the purge flow rate and an intake air flow rate so as to attain the target air-fuel ratio;
• a fuel increase upper limit setting unit that sets an allowable upper limit for an increase in fuel supply rate in the fuel cut return rich control;
• and
• an actual air-fuel ratio control unit that controls an actual air-fuel ratio to a richer air-fuel ratio when the fuel supply rate in the fuel cut return rich control has reached the allowable upper limit and when the actual air-fuel ratio is a lean air-fuel ratio.