Introduction
PDC bits have gained increasing favor because of advancements in the materials used in bit manufacturing and improvements in bit designs. These advancements have relaxed some of the requirements limiting PDC-bit use (e.g., use of oil muds to get good bit performance). In some areas, PDC bits are being used to drill more than 00% of the intermediate and production hole footage
The results of a laboratory study designed to evaluate various factors affecting bit performance are presented in this paper.