2026 Bits & Balls Forum/Tournament Presentations

Tuesday, February 24, 2026: 

Intro and safety moment: Welcome to the 2026 Bits and Balls Forum/Tournament

Session 1 - Permian & Delaware Basin - Drilling Challenges

• Halliburton, Greg Grosz: Shankless Bit Technology: from Steel to Matrix
  
• SLB, Dalia Garduno : Taking Unconventional Curve & Lateral Next Level
  
• NOV, Moustafa Saleh: Improving Delaware Intermediate Performance with Strategically Oriented Shaped Cutters
  
• Taurex, Cameron Devers: Diagnostic Bit Forensics. Case study of rapid cutter development and testing for rapidly advancing lateral wells in the Delaware Basin
  
• Baker Hughes, Armin Kueck: Smooth is Fast: A new Simulation Based Approach to Design Stable PDCs for RSS

Session 2 - Drilling Challenging Intermediate Sections in the Western United States and East Texas/Northern Louisiana.

• The Competency Alliance, Allen Sinor: Hard Rock (and Hotter) Drilling
  
• Ulterra, David Desormeaux: Improving Drilling Performance Of The Intermediate Section, Travis Peak Formation
  
• Taurex, Cameron Devers : 14.5 Mm Cutter Technology And Bit Design As A Response To Hard Rock Challenges In The Travis Peak Intermediate Sections
  
• Ulterra, Matt Case : Pdc Bit Technology Shears Fractured Granite To Access Geothermal Power
  
• Nov, Richard Rivera :Cutter Grade And Shape Selection For Geothermal Applications

Session 3 - Technical Challenges in Jumbo-Size Drill Bit Applications for Deepwater Operations

• BP, Piero d'Ambrosio : Drill Bits Selection Process and Cooperation with Bit Suppliers
• Baker Hughes, Brandon Cherry: 26-inch Deep Water Drill Bit Development
• Halliburton, Deysy Baez : 26” PDC Bit Development: GoA
• SLB, Dexter Trahan: GoA 26” Section Challenges and Solutions
• Ulterra, Jorge Silveus: Addressing Technical Challenges of Torque Management
  
• Kimberlite Research, David Bat : State of The Industry Update