Inventorying all pneumatics and converting them to instrument air — no easy feat.

BKV Technical Services Foreman Cason Jordan and his small-but-mighty team were given the benevolent challenge of executing an environmental game-changer for the company’s Barnett operations—inventorying all pneumatics and converting them to instrument air. From the beginning, the team knew this project would require all hands on deck to achieve a solution without disturbing supply, so in true BKV fashion, they hit the ground running and internally dubbed the project “Project Air Jordan.”

“What’s cool about this project is we’re making a direct impact. Instead of just buying a bunch of carbon offsets, we are working towards real change every day,” said Jordan. “On a daily basis you’re touching the project that can make a big difference in emissions reduction not only for BKV but across the energy sector as a whole.”

Although Jordan and his team are carrying out Project Air Jordan with optimism and enthusiasm, the process is anything but simple. It required “a total pad redesign,” including downsizing, removing equipment, and replacing the natural gas pneumatics with instrument air—and that was just one element of the project.

An empowered team achieving the unimaginable

BKV encouraged Jordan’s team to take the liberty of course-correcting when necessary and to leave no options, nor curiosities, untapped during the process. This approach allowed room for trial and error and, eventually, led to the success they’d hoped for. Jordan described the level of autonomy given to get the job done as "unmatched."

“At BKV, most of these decisions are made at a local level. They empower us, at any level, to make decisions that can impact a project of this magnitude so we can get things done very quickly,” said Jordan. “I’m grateful for that level of support. The attitude is very much ‘Hey, yeah, ok, it didn’t work? Pivot and go in a different direction. Let’s solve the problem.'"