He proposed the concept and developed the term turbine from the Greek word τύρβη, meaning "whirling" or a "vortex".

He became a professor at the École nationale supérieure des mines de Saint-Étienne.

In 1822, Burdin submitted his memo "Des turbines hydrauliques ou machines rotatoires à grande vitesse" (Hydraulic turbines or high-speed rotary machines) to the Académie royale des sciences in Paris.

[2] However, it was not until 1824 that a committee of the Académie (composed of Prony, Dupin, and Girard) reported favorably on Burdin's memo.

This turbine - with a vertical axis - was installed in 1825 in a mill located in Pontgibaud; it had an energy efficiency of 67%.