Abstract: The invention relates to an internal combustion engine (1), in particular in a motor vehicle, having a fresh air system (3) for supplying fresh air, which is extracted from the environment (20) of the internal combustion engine (1), to combustion chambers (13) of the internal combustion engine (1), and having a degassing system (5) for discharging blowby gas from a crankcase (6) of the internal combustion engine (1) and for supplying the blowby gas to the fresh air of the fresh air system (3). Furthermore, the degassing system (5) has an oil separator (35) for removing oil from the blowby gas. In order to improve the performance of the oil separator (35), a vacuum opening valve (37) is connected to the crankcase (6). Said vacuum opening valve (37) opens as a function of a vacuum prevailing in the crankcase (6), and then permits an inflow of fresh air into the crankcase (6).

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for separating a gas-liquid mixture, in which the liquid portion exists in the form of small particles, especially for ventilating a crankcase of an internal combustion engine, by separating and coagulating the liquid particles on a target area. The liquid mixture, after acceleration in acceleration openings provided for this purpose, impacts the target area at an approximately right angle. The aim of the invention is to improve the aforementioned device in such a manner that it allows as high a degree of separation as possible for different sized volume flows of mixtures. For this purpose, the number and/or the cross-sections of the acceleration openings is varied, depending on the volume flow of mixtures, between a small complete cross-section for a low volume flow and a large complete cross-section for a large volume flow.