With increasingly strict automotive emission regulations the exhaust gas aftertreatment becomes more complex and expensive. Mathematical modelling and simulations play an important role in design of the aftertreatment systems consisting of multiple catalytic devices, reducing the time and cost demands of the system design. In this paper a combined exhaust gas aftertreatment system for diesel engines is studied. It consists of a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) for CO and hydrocarbons oxidation, a catalyzed diesel particulate filter (CDPF) for soot filtration, and an NOx storage and reduction catalyst (NSRC, also called lean NOx trap, LNT) for NOx abatement. Effective mathematical models of the individual converters are presented and used first to demonstrate the functionalities of the system, and then to conduct a parametric simulation study. The aim of this study is to map the influence of the individual components on the performance of the entire system in standard test driving cycle. The sizes of the DOC, CDPF, and NSRC converters are varied while the overall volume of the combined system is kept constant. The resulting maps of pressure drop, CO, HC, particulate matter, and NOx conversions show non-linear dependences on the sizes of individual converters. Co-operative and competitive effects occurring in the combined system are discussed. Suitable reactors sizes are found that enable high conversions of all controlled exhaust gas components. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.