1 Abstract— The wear map approach has been used successfully to identify interactions taking place between sliding surfaces. Using this approach, wear mechanisms have been analyzed to optimize cutting tool applications in the field of metal cutting. This research proposes to expand the use of wear maps in optimizing process parameters for drilling of rocks during petroleum exploration Index Terms— Wear map; mining; petroleum exploration, rock drilling. I. INTRODUCTION Fossil fuels have been at the accounted for 36.3 % of all fuel consumption in 2010, excluding electricity generation [1]. Petroleum fuels are chiefly used in the transport sector which itself accounted for 27% of the total world energy consumption in 2008 [2]. With the depletion of petroleum oil reserves in relatively accessible rock formations, there is a need to carry out research for effectively recovering oil from difficult to drill rock formations. The wear map approach provides an effective means to optimize drilling parameters and analyze the interactions and wear mechanisms involved in the drilling process. Already this approach has been successfully exploited in the optimization of metal cutting processes [3, 4, 5], as well as analysis of wear mechanisms and the physical and chemical interactions taking place at the interface of the tribological surfaces [6-10]. Such research has contributed tremendously towards the development of more effective tools and tool coatings, leading to enhanced tool life and greater productivity. Ultimately, such research developments have resulted in reduced process costs and enhanced process efficiency. The process of oil drilling is analogous to the process of machining, albeit on a much larger scale. The tools used in this process are also of similar categories, that include high speed steel (HSS), carbide (tungsten carbide), diamond (various grades of diamond) and coated tools. Though, as compared with machining, very few researchers have reported work done on the wear. II. EXPERIMENTAL SETUP This research work is carried out using an indigenous pin-on-disk fixture developed by Sadiq et. al.[11], according to the standard ASTM G99-05 [12] (Figure 1). The apparatus allows a pin made from standard tool materials to be rubbed against various rock samples, rotating at known revolutions per minute (rpm). The apparatus also allows the load to be increased or decreased in required steps. In order to analyze wear mechanisms, the first step would be to analyze tool wear rates at known conditions and to determine the optimal conditions for operating existing tools against known rock samples. This research therefore looks towards determining wear rates of these tool materials when worked against hard rock formations, mapping them against known laboratory conditions, and according to those wear maps, selecting the most suitable tool material, and drilling conditions. Use of wear ŵap approach iŶ optiŵizatioŶ of drilliŶg paraŵeters for petroleuŵ exploratioŶ Syed Husain Imran Jaffery, Shahid Sadiq, Mushtaq Khan, Liaqat Ali, M Nabeel Anwar , Aamir Mubashar School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (SMME), National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan Imran@smme.nust.edu.pk, mkhan@smme.nust.edu.pk, Liaqat@smme.nust.edu.pk, nabeel@smme.nust.edu.pk, Aamir@smme.nust.edu.pk