Beverage preparation device with disk valve and operating method

Abstract

A beverage preparation device () having a disk valve (), comprising a valve housing () and a disk stack () arranged therein, having a cover disk () that has at least one fluid opening, configured as a fluid inlet opening, for fluid (), in particular water and/or steam, and having at least one control disk () that is arranged on a side of the cover disk () facing away from an outer end side of the cover disk (), wherein the control disk () is rotatable, manually and/or by means of a drive, about an axis of rotation (R) relative to the cover disk () between different selection positions, wherein a pressure chamber () is formed outside the fluid opening (), within which pressure chamber () a contact pressure (P) is exertable, by means of the fluid () flowing therethrough, on the outer end side () of the cover disk () along the axis of rotation (R) in the direction of the control disk (), and wherein the pressure chamber () is bounded in the radial direction with respect to the axis of rotation (R) by an elastomer seal (), which is supported on the cover disk () in the axial direction, and wherein a pressure-chamber cross-sectional area enclosed by the elastomer seal () and/or the pressure-surface portion (), able to be loaded with hydraulic pressure, of the outer cover disk () next to the fluid opening () corresponds to at least 20% of the axial projection surface of the cover disk (), and/or is greater than a fluid-opening cross-sectional area of the fluid opening ().