New study shows robustness of v-shaped PDC cutters in hard rock

Recent improvements in PDC cutter technology have made it possible to implement various shaped cutters in PDC bits on a broad scale in drilling operations. Researchers at National Oilwell Varco (NOV) and ExxonMobil looked into how much usage these cutters can take before reaching their durability limits, publishing the tests and their results in a paper presented at the 2020 IADC/SPE International Drilling Conference in Galveston. In this video with DC from the conference, Reza Rahmani, Engineering Manager of PDC Development at NOV and one of the co-authors of the paper, discussed some of its findings, including the causes of PDC cutter failure and the variance in impact damage between round cutters and v-shaped cutters in hard rocks.