Method for operating an internal combustion engine, control element, internal combustion engine

A method for operating an internal combustion engine, which comprises at least one venting duct running from a crank chamber of a crankcase to an intake manifold supplying a fresh air mass flow into at least one cylinder of the internal combustion engine, comprising the steps of:

• determining a characteristic curve relating a crank chamber pressure to an operating state of the internal combustion engine,
• storing the characteristic curve in an engine controller,
• measuring a fresh air mass flow supplied to the internal combustion engine with an air mass sensor,
• determining the crank chamber pressure of at least one cylinder of the internal combustion engine for a current operating state of the internal combustion engine depending on the measured fresh air mass flow and the stored characteristic curve,
• comparing the so determined crank chamber pressure with a previously determined crank chamber pressure to determine a temporal change of the crank chamber pressure;
• determining from the temporal change of the crank chamber pressure and the measured fresh air mass flow a gas mass flow transported from the crank chamber to the intake manifold through the at least one venting duct;
• determining a cylinder charge from the measured fresh air mass flow and from the determined gas mass flow, and
• correcting the determined cylinder charge, which is determined from the measured fresh air mass flow and from the determined gas mass flow transported from the crank chamber to the intake manifold through the at least one venting duct, by adjusting at least one of the fresh air mass flow and a fuel quantity supplied to the at least one cylinder so as to compensate for the temporal change in the crank chamber pressure.