EXHAUST GAS PURIFICATION DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

An object is to reduce the increase in the fuel consumption or the increase in emissions caused by processing for raising the temperature of an NO x catalyst in an exhaust gas purification apparatus for an internal combustion engine having the NO x catalyst arranged in an exhaust passage of the internal combustion engine. To achieve the above object, an exhaust gas purification apparatus for an internal combustion engine according to the present invention executes processing for raising the temperature of the NO x catalyst on condition that a temperature change ratio with a predetermined amount of assumed temperature rise of the NO x catalyst is equal to or higher than a reference value. According to the present invention, it is possible to activate the NO x quickly while keeping the unwanted increase in the fuel consumption and emissions caused by the temperature raising processing small.