Internal combustion engine, method for operating the same and control device for carrying out the method

A method for operating an internal combustion engine (10) having a plurality of cylinders (11), the cylinders producing exhaust gas (12), a first exhaust gas turbocharger (14a) including a high-pressure turbine (13a) and a high-pressure compressor (16a), a second exhaust gas turbocharger (14b) including a low-pressure turbine (13b) and a low-pressure compressor (16b), at least one exhaust gas aftertreatment device positioned between the high-pressure turbine (13a) and the low-pressure turbine (13b), the at least one exhaust gas aftertreatment device being at least one selected from the group of:

• a particle filter, a CO oxidation catalytic converter, CH2O oxidation catalytic converter, a CH4 oxidation catalytic converter, and an SCR catalytic converter (17), the at least one exhaust gas aftertreatment device conducting all of the exhaust gas (12), produced by the cylinders (11), including any exhaust gas (12) leaving the high-pressure turbine (13a), downstream to the low-pressure turbine (13b), and a power take-in (21) coupled to the low-pressure compressor (16b), the method comprising:
• driving, with the power take-in (21), by providing extra energy to the low-pressure compressor (16b) in a case in which and exhaust gas temperature drop greater than a threshold amount occurs at the at least one exhaust gas aftertreatment device;
• determining exhaust gas temperatures with a first temperature sensor (18) positioned downstream of the high-pressure turbine (13a) and upstream of the at least one exhaust gas aftertreatment device and with a second temperature sensor (19) positioned downstream of the at least one exhaust gas aftertreatment device and upstream of the low-pressure turbine (13a);
• and
• depending upon a temperature difference between the temperature of the exhaust gas (12) at the first temperature sensor (18) and the temperature of the exhaust gas (12) at the second temperature sensor (19), automatically determining and automatically adjusting the amount of extra energy to be provided at the power take-in (21) for driving the low-pressure compressor (16b), such that the greater the temperature drop and thus the energy loss along the at least one exhaust gas aftertreatment device, the more energy is fed to the power take-in (21) and thus to the low-pressure compressor (16b), so as to supply the cylinders (11) of the internal combustion engine (10) with an adequate amount of charge air.