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Justin Burnett Mechanical Engineer burned@uw.edu Phone 206-221-7672 |
Education
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Gonzaga University, 2010
M.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Nebraska, 2015
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Publications |
2000-present and while at APL-UW |
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Field testing of an axial-flow marine current turbine with passive adaptive blades Van Ness, K.D., J. Burnett, J. Dosher, B.P. Cunningham, R. Barber and C. Bassett, "Field testing of an axial-flow marine current turbine with passive adaptive blades," Renewable Energy, 276, doi:10.1016/j.renene.2026.126391, 2026. |
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15 Nov 2026
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For axial-flow turbines, passive adaptive blades designed to passively feather in response to increasing thrust have the potential to decrease peak loads without the need for active pitch mechanisms, which come at the cost of additional failure modes and system complexity. In this study, we tested a 1-meter diameter axial-flow turbine in open water with two sets of composite blades: one blade set with a bend–twist coupling and a second, neutral blade set with no bend–twist coupling for comparison. Both blade sets were tested over a range of tip-speed ratios from λ = 2 to 9, inflow speeds from 0.9 to 1.8 m/s, and yaw angles of 0°, 15°, and 25°. The neutral blades were also tested over a range of preset blade pitch angles from –3° to 20°. Testing over this wide range of operating conditions allowed us to assess the benefits of passive adaptive blades under low-frequency flow fluctuations in above-rated flow speeds (like those experienced during a tidal cycle) as well as cyclic, once-per-revolution loading. The bend–twist coupled blades were observed to achieve the same peak power coefficient as the neutral blades with a 7% reduction in thrust when operating at peak efficiency, and up to a 15% reduction in thrust at high tip-speed ratios. Interpolating across the experimental data, we simulated multiple off-design control strategies which estimate even greater load reduction potential. Further comparisons under yawed inflow are also discussed. |
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The Self-Calibrating Tilt Accelerometer: A method for observing tilt and correcting drift with a triaxial accelerometer Fredrickson, E.K., W.S.D. Wilcock, M.J. Harrington, G. Cram, J. Tilley, D. Martin, and J. Burnett, "The Self-Calibrating Tilt Accelerometer: A method for observing tilt and correcting drift with a triaxial accelerometer," Earth Space Sci., 11, doi:10.1029/2024EA003909, 2024. |
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31 Oct 2024
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We present observations from two field deployments of a calibrated tiltmeter that we name the Self-Calibrating Tilt Accelerometer (SCTA). The tiltmeter is based upon a triaxial quartz crystal accelerometer; the horizontal channels measure tilt and are periodically rotated into the vertical to obtain a measurement of the acceleration of gravity. Changes in the measured total acceleration are ascribed to drift in the vertical channel and used as calibrations for removing that same drift from the tilt time series observed between calibrations. Changes in the span (sensitivity) of the accelerometer channels can also be measured by calibrating them pointing up and down. A 3-year test on the seafloor at Axial Seamount show that the calibrations are consistent with a linear-exponential model of drift to a RMS residual of ~0.5 μg (#&956;rad). The calibrated tilt time series was impacted by platform settling for the first 2 years, but after repositioning the tiltmeter, the calibrated observations were consistent for the final year with the tilt observed on a nearby LILY tiltmeter, within an assumed level of drift for the unconstrained LILY sensor. A separate 15-month test in a stable vault at Piñon Flat Observatory was complicated by seasonal temperature variations of >5°C; the calibrations are consistent with a linear-exponential model of drift to ~2 μg RMS when temperature and temperature time-derivative dependence is included. Similarly, the calibrated tilt time series was impacted by thermal deformation of the SCTA assembly. A future test in a thermally and tectonically stable borehole will be required to assess the accuracy of the SCTA. |
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APL-UW Field-Scale Axial Flow Turbine: Design and Specifications Bassett, C., J. Burnett, K. Van Ness, H. Wood, J. Dosher, B. Cunningham, J. Noe, and T. Tran, "APL-UW Field-Scale Axial Flow Turbine: Design and Specifications," Technical Report, APL-UW TR 2402, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, September 2024, 27 pp. |
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29 Aug 2024
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Axial flow turbines designed to generate power from underwater currents (tidal and riverine) are similar to the commonly observed wind turbines. With support from U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command, engineers at the Applied Physical Laboratory of the University of Washington (APL-UW) have designed and fabricated a one-meter diameter axial flow turbine for use in APL-UW’s marine energy research program. The system, referred to as the AFT (axial flow turbine), is designed for deployment from R/V Russell Davis Light, where the vessel, under propulsion, is used to simulate naturally occurring currents for power generation. This report summarizes the AFT’s mechanical and electrical design and is intended as a reference to support research efforts performed using the system. Encoders and six-axis load cells installed on the driveshaft and at the root of one of the rotor’s three blades, allow for characterization of the forces and torques generated during operation. The system was designed for reliability and to acquire scientific-quality data to advance studies of axial flow turbines. Thus, system components selected in the design process are not intended to maximize system efficiency and power extraction. |
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In The News
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The search for alien life: Inside University of Washington’s astrobiology program KIRO 7 News, Brandon Thompson If life exists elsewhere in the universe, researchers at the University of Washington are finding the clues on Earth to help understand where to look for it. |
19 Feb 2026
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UW part of $25M NSF-funded effort to retrieve Earth’s oldest ice core UW News The new Center for Oldest Ice Exploration, or COLDEX, will be created under a five-year, $25 million National Science Foundation grant. Roughly $5 million of that grant will go to the UW. One aspect of COLDEX will involve new development of a probe, the Ice Diver, that melts through layers of ice and provides information about the age of the ice and other data without having to lift a core back up to the surface. |
14 Sep 2021
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Researchers test ice probe on Mount Baker Skagit Valley Herald, Kimberly Cauvel APL-UW researchers received help from a local snowmobile club to reach Mount Baker's Easton Glacier at an elevation of about 8000 feet to conduct tests of the 'ice diver' probe — an electrically-heated instrument that pierces glacial ice to measure the physical and biological environments below. |
15 Jun 2019
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