METHOD FOR OPERATING AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE AS WELL AS INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

The invention relates to method for operating an internal combustion engine that has at least two combustion chambers, of which at least one is operated at a substoichiometric air-fuel ratio and of which at least another is operated at a superstoichiometric air-fuel ratio. The outlet of the internal combustion engine is connected to an exhaust gas system in which a three-way catalytic converter is arranged in the flow direction of an exhaust gas through an exhaust gas channel, and an exhaust gas heat-recovery device is arranged downstream from the three-way catalytic converter. It is provided for the unburned fuel components of the combustion chamber that is operated at a substoichiometric air-fuel ratio to be exothermally reacted with the residual oxygen from the combustion chamber that is operated at a superstoichiometric air-fuel ratio on the three-way catalytic converter, whereby the exhaust gas temperature is raised so that the exhaust gas heat-recovery device can recover a portion of the exhaust gas enthalpy downstream from the three-way catalytic converter.