The Everlasting Flame design

A friendly deep-dive into long-lasting, self-regenerating chemical heat sources you can harness directly for warmth or convert to a trickle of electricity. We’ll outline three reaction paths, the controls that keep them looping, and practical ways to harvest the output with thermoelectric generators (TEGs).

Safety & Scope

Flames, hot surfaces, and gases (CO, CO₂, acetylene) are hazardous. Work outdoors or under a fume hood with a CO detector.
Some steps in Concept 1 (carbide loop) and metal reduction generally require very high temperatures industrially; treat these as experimental, small-scale explorations.
This article presents theory-guided prototypes. Measure carefully, ventilate generously, and don’t scale up without professional engineering controls.

Why Chemical “Self-Looping”?

In electronics we chase self-looped power with resonance, asymmetry, and clever switching. Chemistry offers a parallel universe: under the right conditions, a reaction can regenerate its fuel by borrowing from the environment—moisture, oxygen, and CO₂—while delivering useful work as heat, flame, or pressure. Sometimes the smartest move is to use nature’s energy in its native form rather than forcing it through a low-efficiency electrical conversion.

Concept 1 — Calcium-Carbide Assisted Flame (Partial Loop)

Core reactions

Gas generation (moisture-driven): CaC₂ + 2H₂O → C₂H₂ (acetylene) + Ca(OH)₂
CO₂ capture: Ca(OH)₂ + CO₂ → CaCO₃ + H₂O
Calcination (heat-assisted): CaCO₃ → CaO + CO₂ (requires high heat)
Carbide regeneration (very high heat): CaO + 3C → CaC₂ + CO

How the “candle” behaves

Ambient moisture trickles acetylene from CaC₂, sustaining a low flame.
Byproduct Ca(OH)₂ absorbs CO₂ from air, moving toward CaCO₃.
With enough retained heat + carbon, some CaCO₃ → CaO → CaC₂ can occur locally, partially closing the loop.

Reality check: industrial carbide production needs kilns/arc furnaces. As a long-life flame source, this path is promising; as a fully closed loop, it’s aspirational.

Starter module (tabletop)

Reservoir of CaC₂ in a perforated cup; controlled humid air feed; spark/ignition.
Heat-retaining mantle around the flame to encourage CaCO₃ ⇄ CaO transitions.
Charcoal/graphitic insert near the hot zone to donate carbon for any local CaC₂ regeneration.

With ~500 g of carbonate/carbide media, a carefully throttled system could run months to years between top-ups.

Concept 2 — Slow Metal Oxidation (Magnesium/Zinc)

Core reactions

Mg + ½O₂ → MgO (exothermic)
Zn + ½O₂ → ZnO (exothermic)
Reduction (to regenerate metal) typically: MgO/ZnO + C (or H₂/CO) → metal + CO/CO₂ (high heat)

Prototype wick

Porous ceramic wick coated with fine Mg or Zn powder.
Ambient moisture + O₂ cause a slow glow; the mantle captures heat.
Periodically, a hot zone with carbon reduces some oxide back to metal → a gentler loop than Concept 1.

More controllable than carbide; better longevity with careful moisture metering and catalysts (Pt/Pd/Rh traces in the wick lower activation energy).

Concept 3 — Thermochemical Looping with Iron Nanoparticles

Core cycle (schematic)

Oxidation (heat out): Fe + O₂ → Fe₂O₃/Fe₃O₄
Reduction (heat in or catalytic): Fe-oxide + H₂/CO → Fe + H₂O/CO₂

A catalytic wick doped with tiny amounts of Pt/Pd/Rh can drop the temperature needed for reduction/oxidation, enabling slow, steady heat with periodic micro-reductions.

Why this is the “keeper”

Stable materials, well-studied redox chemistry, amenable to nanoparticle coatings.
With air and trace moisture as “free” inputs, the loop can run indefinitely as long as the catalyst remains active and leakage is minimal.
Engineers can throttle heat from faint glow to low flame by adjusting airflow and particle loading.

From Flame to Watts — Adding Thermoelectric Generators (TEGs)

Module concept

Hot plate above flame; TEG hot side bonded to plate.
Large finned heatsink on the TEG cold side; chimney effect improves ΔT.
DC combiner (Schottky OR) + buck/boost regulator to your target voltage.

Typical numbers

One TEG: ≈ 5 V @ 0.1–0.2 A once warmed (~30 min).
6–10 TEGs in parallel: ≈ 5–10 W continuous (application-dependent).
Use several smaller modules to distribute heat rather than one large plate (reduces hot-spot stresses).

Cost realism. Hobby-scale chemicals, catalysts, machining, and TEGs can exceed $2,000 to prototype. With factory tooling and wholesale parts the same 10 W unit could be assembled for ~$6, retail at ~$100, and pay back in a few months of off-grid use. Individual economics are poor; scaled production looks attractive.

Build Blueprint (all concepts share these controls)

Meter the air & moisture. Adjustable inlets; desiccant bypass for dry climates; wicking pad to add humidity when needed.
Use a catalytic wick. Mix nanoscale metal/oxide with a trace catalyst; bind to a porous ceramic. Goal: lower activation energy, keep temperatures modest.
Trap & recycle heat. A mantle or refractory chamber stores heat and enables the micro-reduction steps that close each loop.
Instrument the core. Thermocouples at hot plate and wick; CO/CO₂ sensor in exhaust; airflow sensor (pitot or simple flap).
Harvest gently. Place TEGs where they see steady ΔT, not flame licks. Use thermal grease and clamps for repeatable contact pressure.

Applications & Scaling

Emergency/off-grid heat & light: Faint, safe glow for shelters; TEGs power radios, beacons, or sensor nodes.
Industrial reactors: Large, well-controlled redox loops that use ambient air/CO₂; add plant-walls for CO₂ scrubbing and O₂ replenishment.
Fuel precursors: Some loops yield carbon-rich residues; with water this can become a combustible slurry for burners (handle responsibly).

Design Notes, Parallels & Philosophy

Nonlinearity & symmetry-breaking: Catalysts and staged redox are the chemical analog of Tesla/Bearden-style asymmetry tricks in EM systems.
High-frequency in EM ↔ high surface-area in chem: Nanoparticles multiply interaction “windows” per second, just as RF increases EM coupling opportunities.
Hybrid thinking wins: We can skip wasteful electrical conversions by letting chemical work stay chemical when that’s the most direct path.

Practical Hazards & Mitigations

Risk	Where it appears	Mitigation
CO production	High-temp reductions; rich flames	Outdoor/vented use; CO detector; lean burn
Acetylene flashback	Concept 1 generator	Flashback arrestor; small batch; water seal
Dust & nanoparticle exposure	Wick fabrication	Respirator, gloves, wet processing, sealed binders
Thermal runaway	All concepts if airflow spikes	Metal housing, thermal fuses, airflow governor

Where to Start (experimentation path)

Prototype the iron-oxide wick (Concept 3) first—most forgiving. Aim for a 24/7 faint glow with steady exhaust chemistry.
Add a single TEG and measure ΔT, warm-up time, and daily watt-hours. Log CO/CO₂.
Iterate catalysts and airflow to lower operating temperature while maintaining the glow.
Only then explore carbide-assisted or Mg/Zn variants for higher flames or different outputs.

You don’t need 10 W to be useful. A reliable 5 V @ 100 mA trigger source can power oscillators, RF mixers, or microcontrollers that help you “pull” from the environment in other ways.