What's Next for Drillbit Technologies?
PDC Drillbits are the workhorse of the drilling industry and are the go-to for drilling nearly any formation at any depth. Vibration (particularly HFTOs) and wear are ongoing challenges, particularly in hard or abrasive formations. This talk will briefly review the current state of the art in PDC bit design and operations before exploring proposed hybrid bit technologies, including hybrid hydraulic jetting - PDC bits and plasma pulse - PDC bits. Similar to how hybrid PDC - roller cone bits combined shear and compressive failure, these new bits could combine a rock weaking effect with shearing to improve bit performance and reduce wear. Recent research will be presented and the potential and economics will be explored.
Registration closes on Monday, March 23 at 8AM MDT.
Date/Time
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Registration: 11:45 AM MDT
Start Time: 12:00 PM MDT
End Time: 1:00 PM MDT
Location
Calgary Petroleum Club | 319 5 Ave SW, Calgary, AB, T2P 0L5
*This event will be in-person only, and will not be recorded.
Speaker Bio
Roman Shor, Ph.D., P.Eng.
Associate Professor and Douglas Von Gonten Faculty Fellow, Texas A&M University
Roman Shor is an Associate Professor and Douglas Von Gonten Faculty Fellow in the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University. Previously, he was an Associate Professor and the Energi Simulation Industrial Research Chair in Geothermal Systems at the University of Calgary. He holds a BA in mathematics and a BSE and MSE in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MSE and PhD in petroleum engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He is the Director of the Wells for the Future Consortium at Texas A&M, and his research interests include drillstring dynamics modelling and control, drilling optimization, drilling systems automation, and drilling in extreme environments. His research team explores topics related to deep drilling systems, aiming to reduce well costs and improve drilling efficiency, which enables the development of deep geothermal systems. He also applies machine learning techniques to problems in the energy sector, with a particular interest in mitigating the environmental impact of drilling operations on surrounding communities.
**Please Note
Lunch will be served. Please be sure to include your dietary restrictions during the online registration process so we can do our best to accommodate.
An event reminder will be sent the day before and the morning of the event.
Group Discounts
Group discounts are now available! A discount of 10% will be applied at checkout for groups of 6-9 people, and a discount of 15% will be applied for groups of 10+ people. Please note the discount will only be applied if all tickets are purchased in the same transaction.
If you wish to reserve a table, please email calgarysection@spe.org and specify your company name and the specific event title/date to hold the reservation. Please note that table reservations only apply to groups of 8.
Tiered Pricing
We are rolling out a new tiered pricing structure for all upcoming Calgary Section Technical Luncheons. This updated approach allows us to offer lower prices for SPE Members while ensuring continued value for non-members. The new system includes three pricing tiers, with a limited number of Tier 1 and Tier 2 tickets available to encourage and reward early registration. We hope this creates more flexibility and choice for everyone attending our events. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to contact us at calgarysection@spe.org.
Group Discount (10+ People)