Crackers
The site has three ethylene crackers with combined capacity of 3.6 million tons a year, the newest commissioned in 2018.
Baytown lies on the Houston Ship Channel about 26 miles east of Houston. The refinery has a Nelson Complexity Index of 13.7, indicating a highly complex configuration with many conversion units. If you are specifying an explosion proof mobile phone for Baytown, Texas (ExxonMobil Baytown complex), this page covers the markings, the approvals and the current certification status of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Baytown, Texas (ExxonMobil Baytown complex): pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
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): Refinery process units, Ethylene cracking units, Chemical plant 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.
Who operates there and which kinds of classified area a handset would meet, from the SAMS site research.
The site has three ethylene crackers with combined capacity of 3.6 million tons a year, the newest commissioned in 2018.
A blue hydrogen facility is under construction, so project and contractor activity continues alongside operations.
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.
ExxonMobil has made a final investment decision on a reconfiguration project at Baytown to raise production of higher-demand products such as base stocks and diesel.
A 2 billion dollar expansion started two new chemical lines in 2023: 400,000 tonnes per year of performance polymers and 350,000 tonnes per year of linear alpha olefins.
The complex has a workforce of about 7,000 people, and the 2023 expansion supported over 3,500 construction jobs and 200 permanent roles.
“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.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
No. Nothing can be bought or taken into a classified area today: certification is in progress and launch is planned for Q4 2026. What is available now is the datasheet, the written certification schedule and evaluation units for safe-area use.
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.
Not exactly. Explosion proof is a broad everyday term; intrinsic safety is one protection concept, which limits energy so ignition cannot occur. Flameproof (Ex d) is a different concept that contains an explosion. The IS-04Z1 is intrinsically safe by design.
Expansions such as the 2023 chemical lines supported 3,500 construction jobs, so peak construction periods bring many contractors. Confirm schedules and induction requirements with the operator.
Process units, olefins and polymer plants, tank farms and loading areas have gas and dust hazards, with hydrogen areas needing IIC. Request the site classification drawings for exact zones.
ExxonMobil's complex, founded in 1919, combines a refinery with chemical and ethylene units, and Chevron Phillips and Covestro also run large plants nearby. Areas therefore range from process units to crackers and storage. Confirm which plant and area a task is in, and what the operator requires.
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.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.