The refrigeration system in both static and fan forced units is the same, comprising of a compressor, condenser, evaporator, fan, and other main components. The difference is in how they cool the air inside of the refrigerator.
Static cooling systems are the more simple of the two, as there are less moving parts, so less can go wrong. In a static cooling system, the compressed gas is pumped through the evaporator coils on the inside walls, or along the shelves of the fridge or freezer. As the interior walls or shelves cool down, so does the internal temperature of the refrigerator.
A small fan inside the unit circulates the cooled air around the interior of the fridge, so that everything inside is cooled evenly. Static cooled fridges with this small interior fan are referred to as fan assisted static cooled system. This is different to fan forced cooling, as the small fan only circulates the air within the static cooling system.
It’s referred to as a static cooling system because the air is circulated within the refrigerator itself, and doesn’t need to be forced in and out of the system. This is a very energy efficient way to cool refrigerators that don’t need to be opened very often, such as chest freezers and domestic refrigerators. However, the cooling effect will not be strong enough to outmatch regular shifts in temperature from opening the door regularly. For this reason, cooling capabilities of a static cooling system are outmatched by fan forced refrigeration systems.
Static system refrigerators are excellent at keeping things cool, and they generally run more quietly than their fan forced counterparts, but they take a long time to actually cool something down, and when the door is opened, warm air quickly rushes in to displace the cool air. This is not a problem for something like cold drinks that are sealed, as water is dense and drinks can hold their cool temperature for a long time, even if the door has been opened. But to keep food cool in a high traffic environment, a fan forced refrigerator is more appropriate.
Fan forced cooling is much that same as static cooling, but it involves a fan that is directly connected to the cooling system. This can be one or more fans that force cool air into the unit, while simultaneously pulling warm air out. Fan forced refrigerators usually have a large section, either at the top or bottom of the unit, that contains the large fan and cooling system.
This is a much more effective way of quickly cooling the interior of the fridge than a static cooling system. Commercial fan forced fridges are ideal for high traffic environments where the door is constantly being opened, as the fan forced system can quickly cool everything down as soon as the door is closed again.
In order to handle the larger, more robust and complicated cooling system, fan forced fridges are usually more durable, made of higher quality materials, and are more expensive than static cooled units. As a result, these refrigerators can also hold the set temperature very well, and they are less subject to the ambient temperature outside the fridge. This is great for shops and commercial kitchen environments that can get very hot and need to reliably store lots of food to keep it fresh for customers.
Another benefit to fan forced cooling is that the internal components are less likely to experience ice build up, as the walls or shelves do not need to be cooled, but rather forced air is what cools down the inside of the refrigerator. Fan forced units also tend to have automatic defrost systems to regulate any ice build up.
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Both static and fan forced refrigerators have their place in commercial and domestic settings, so it’s important to determine what kind of refrigerator you’ll need. Decide where your refrigerator will be located, how often the door will be opened, and what will be stored. As mentioned, static refrigerators are a bit cheaper, more energy efficient and are great for storing things long term, where as fan forced refrigerators are more expensive and do a much better job at cooling food down very quickly.
