Turnaround cycles
Planned maintenance shutdowns bring large contractor workforces into classified areas; Reduc, for example, has shutdowns scheduled in 2026.
This is a regional grouping rather than a single site. Revamp projects are under way at the Presidente Bernardes (RPBC), Paulinia (Replan) and Duque de Caxias (Reduc) refineries, with hydroprocessing units planned at Revap and Refap. This page explains what to look for in an explosion proof smartphone for Brazilian refineries, and where the IS-04Z1 stands against that list today.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Brazilian refineries: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Current position: certification in progress, nothing issued, launch targeted for Q4 2026. Operator approval runs on its own timeline. 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 | Brazilian refineries: Hydrotreater and hydrogen units, Flare and wastewater areas, Refinery process units | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Brazil Refineries. 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.
Planned maintenance shutdowns bring large contractor workforces into classified areas; Reduc, for example, has shutdowns scheduled in 2026.
Petrobras has sold some refineries (for example RLAM in Bahia and Reman in Manaus), so procurement rules differ by owner.
Of eight refineries once offered for sale, only two were sold (Mataripe and the Manaus refinery), and Petrobras later resumed investing in the rest of its refining park.
The same plan allocates 2.1 billion dollars to remove logistics bottlenecks, including expanding and optimising terminals and transport infrastructure that serve the refineries.
Under the Strategic Plan 2024-28+ Petrobras budgets 16.7 billion US dollars across refining, transport and marketing, with 9 billion dollars earmarked for refining, which implies a long pipeline of shutdown and revamp work.
Petrobras' REPLAN refinery at Paulinia, Sao Paulo, is the largest in Brazil at 434,000 barrels per day, and the 208,000 b/d REPAR refinery at Araucaria, Parana, is another major site in the 2024-28 plan.
“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 Brazilian refineries. In the refinery context, explosion-proof is a casual term spanning process units, tank farms, loading racks and jetties. Fixed equipment may use flameproof Ex d, whereas a handheld relies on intrinsic safety. The IS-04Z1 is designed on the intrinsic safety principle and awaits certification.
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, crude and product tank farms, loading racks and jetties, hydrotreater and hydrogen units. 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.
Refinery contractors typically check Ex certification marking, temperature class and gas group against the area classification, plus local radio approval. The detail varies by site and contractor, so confirm the requirement with the refinery safety group and your contractor induction pack.
Often. During shutdowns and revamps, work shifts between live and isolated units, and permits define which areas are gas-tested. Many sites keep the same Ex requirement for the whole fence line to avoid errors, so confirm with the operator and the turnaround contractor.
Maintenance shutdowns are a natural point, because large contractor workforces enter classified areas, and Reduc has shutdowns scheduled in 2026. Plan MDM enrolment and charging well before mobilisation. Confirm timing and rules with the site operator, as schedules change.
More on Brazil Refineries, and on other places in Brazil.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.