Technique for production of ammonia on demand in a three way catalyst for a passive selective catalytic reduction system

1. A method for controlling a powertrain comprising an internal combustion engine including multiple cylinders and an aftertreatment system including a selective catalytic reduction device utilizing ammonia as a reductant, said method comprising:

depleting oxygen from an ammonia generation catalyst located between the engine and the selective catalytic reduction device and connected to the plurality of the cylinders, including selecting for the cylinders an air fuel ratio within a stoichiometric-to-rich operating range;

after depleting oxygen from the ammonia generation catalyst, initiating an ammonia generation cycle comprising

cooperatively operating a plurality of the cylinders, with some portion of the plurality of cylinders operating at air/fuel ratios in a first stoichiometric-to-rich range conducive to producing NOx and with a remaining portion of the plurality of the cylinders operating at air/fuel ratios in a second range with a more rich air/fuel ratio than the first range conducive to producing molecular hydrogen; and

utilizing the ammonia generation catalyst to produce ammonia.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the plurality of cylinders operating at air/fuel ratios in the first stoichiometric-to-rich range conducive to producing NOx comprises each cylinder of said portion operating at the same air/fuel ratio.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the plurality of cylinders operating at air/fuel ratios in the first stoichiometric-to-rich range conducive to producing NOx comprises at least two cylinders of said portion operating at different air/fuel ratios.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the remaining portion of the plurality of the cylinders operating at air/fuel ratios in the second range with a more rich air fuel ratio than the first range conducive to producing molecular hydrogen comprises each cylinder of said remaining portion operating at the same air/fuel ratio.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the remaining portion of the plurality of the cylinders operating at air/fuel ratios in the second range with a more rich air fuel ratio than the first range conducive to producing molecular hydrogen comprises at least two cylinders of said remaining portion operating at different air/fuel ratios.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cylinders operating at air/fuel ratios in the first stoichiometric-to-rich range conducive to producing NOx and the cylinders operating at air/fuel ratios in the second range conducive to producing molecular hydrogen can change from combustion cycle to combustion cycle.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cylinders operating at air/fuel ratios in the second range conducive to producing molecular hydrogen are operated with a split fuel injection strategy.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the split fuel injection strategy includes late combustion hydrocarbon reformation.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the split fuel injection strategy includes post combustion hydrocarbon reformation.

10. An apparatus for controlling a powertrain comprising an internal combustion engine including multiple cylinders and an aftertreatment system, comprising:

a direct injection fuel injection system;

said aftertreatment system comprising

a selective catalytic reduction device utilizing ammonia as a reductant, and

a first ammonia generation catalyst located between the engine and the selective catalytic reduction device; and

a controller configured to

monitor ammonia production requirements for the selective catalytic reduction device,

deplete oxygen from the first ammonia generation catalyst, including selecting for a first pair of the cylinders an air fuel ratio within a stoichiometric-to-rich operating range, and

after depleting oxygen from the first ammonia generation catalyst, control the direct injection fuel injection system including effecting different air/fuel ratios within the first pair of the cylinders including

operating one of the first pair of the cylinders at an air/fuel ratio in a first stoichiometric-to-rich range conducive to producing NOx based upon the ammonia production requirements, and

operating the other of the first pair of cylinders at an air/fuel ratio in a second range with a more rich air/fuel ratio than the first range conducive to producing molecular hydrogen based upon the ammonia production requirements.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the aftertreatment system further comprises a hydrogen forming catalyst useful for post combustion hydrocarbon reformation.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising:

a second ammonia generation catalyst between the engine and the selective catalytic reduction device;

the controller further configured to

deplete oxygen from the second ammonia generation catalyst, including selecting for a second pair of the cylinders an air fuel ratio within the stoichiometric-to-rich operating range, and

after depleting oxygen from the second ammonia generation catalyst, control the direct injection fuel injection system including effecting different air/fuel ratios within the second pair of the cylinders including

operating one the second pair of the cylinders at an air/fuel ratio in the first stoichiometric-to-rich range conducive to producing NOx based upon the ammonia production requirements, and

operating the other of the second pair of cylinders at an air/fuel ratio in the second range with a more rich air/fuel ratio than the first range conducive to producing molecular hydrogen based upon the ammonia production requirements.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the other of the first pair of cylinders and the other of the second pair of cylinders are operated with a split fuel injection strategy.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the split fuel injection strategy includes late combustion hydrocarbon reformation.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the split fuel injection strategy includes post combustion hydrocarbon reformation.