Projects
A blue hydrogen facility is under construction, so project and contractor activity continues alongside operations.
ExxonMobil's Baytown complex covers about 3,400 acres on the Houston Ship Channel, around 25 miles east of Houston, and includes a refinery, chemical plant, olefins plant, plastics plant and a global technology center. ExxonMobil's complex there, founded in 1919, combines a refinery with chemical and ethylene units, and Chevron Phillips and Covestro also run large plants, so classified areas span process units, crackers and storage. Distribution partners for Baytown, Texas (ExxonMobil Baytown complex) are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Baytown, Texas (ExxonMobil Baytown complex) has no appointed SAMS distributor yet: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued, launch planned for Q4 2026), and distributor applications are open.
For the record, no certificate exists for the IS-04Z1 today. The programme is under way ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. An operator's own vendor approval is a separate step. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Protection concept | Flameproof (Ex d) or intrinsic safety (Ex i) | Intrinsic safety, level ib |
| Zone suitability | Zone 1 gas and Zone 21 dust | Design target for Zone 1 and 21 |
| Certificate | Number, issuing body and schedule of conditions | In progress; not issued |
| Where it applies | Baytown, Texas (ExxonMobil Baytown complex): Chemical plant units, Ship Channel storage and docks, Refinery process units | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Baytown Refinery. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
A short profile of the site and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
A blue hydrogen facility is under construction, so project and contractor activity continues alongside operations.
The ExxonMobil refinery covers about 3,400 acres and is reported at 588,000 barrels of crude a day. It is the largest employer in the city.
ExxonMobil is developing a large blue hydrogen facility at Baytown, adding a new type of process plant to the complex.
An advanced recycling facility at Baytown has operated since December 2022, with capacity to process 80 million pounds of plastic waste a year.
The Baytown Refinery opened in 1919, has a capacity of 588,000 barrels per day, and is the city's largest employer and the fifth-largest refinery in the United States.
The refinery has a Nelson Complexity Index of 13.7, indicating a highly complex configuration with many conversion units.
“Explosion proof” is the phrase most buyers use for equipment that may be taken into a classified hazardous area. Strictly, it covers several protection concepts: a flameproof enclosure (Ex d) contains an internal explosion, while intrinsic safety (Ex i) limits electrical energy so that an ignition cannot start. Phones are normally intrinsically safe, because a flameproof handset would be too heavy to carry all shift.
The IS-04Z1 uses intrinsic safety, with a marking target of Ex ib IIC T4, and is designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21. It is pre-launch, certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued.
In Baytown, Texas (ExxonMobil Baytown complex). On the Ship Channel, 'explosion-proof' is the traditional US phrase for equipment in Class I locations at process units, crackers and storage. The real protection concepts are flameproof enclosures and intrinsic safety, and a handheld belongs to the latter. The operator picks the concept for each area, so the term alone specifies nothing.
Distribution of the IS-04Z1 is by authorised partners only, and SAMS has not yet granted a territory for Baytown, Texas (ExxonMobil Baytown complex). Each application is reviewed on its merits. Because opening a certified Ex handset in an ordinary workshop invalidates its certificate, the partner must be able to support and service the device locally.
Not today. Until the certificates are issued the IS-04Z1 stays out of classified areas, and until launch there is nothing to purchase. You can ask for the datasheet and the certification schedule, or book a safe-area evaluation unit.
There is no list price yet. SAMS gives indicative pre-launch pricing in writing, against a stated quantity and site, and does not commit to a lead time before certification completes.
It is intrinsically safe (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), which is the usual way to make a phone for hazardous areas. It is not a flameproof (Ex d) design, and certification is still in progress.
Likely candidates are refinery process units, ethylene cracking units, chemical plant units, ship channel storage and docks. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
Apply through the distributor page with your company details and the territory you cover. SAMS reviews applications company by company and has not yet granted a territory for Baytown, Texas (ExxonMobil Baytown complex).
The complex lies along the channel with marine access, plus road links to Houston about 25 miles away. Confirm shipping and customs arrangements for equipment.
US sites use NEC Class and Division and IEC Zone marking; confirm which the site accepts and the gas group, temperature class, and any contractor approval process.
A blue hydrogen facility is under construction, according to encyclopaedic text not checked with ExxonMobil, so project and contractor activity may continue alongside operations. Hydrogen could affect the gas group required. Ask the operator or its contractors for the marking and approval requirements for new areas.
Other guides for Baytown Refinery, other places in United States, and the pages behind them.
Share the site details and quantity. You will get the datasheet and the certification schedule back by email; pricing is indicative only until launch.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.