Transient operation of a direct injection heavy duty (DI HD) diesel engine equipped with an NOx storage catalyst (NSC) was simulated using a ‘virtual powerplant’ simulation code with a zero-dimensional multizone combustion model. For the regeneration of the NSC the engine is required to work with lean/rich operation switches, which necessitates advanced engine management schemes for the fuelling, throttle and turbocharger wastegate. An optimization procedure, using the simulation model, resulted in a proposed schedule for the control of the various engine components involved in such engine operation.