Complex refinery
CPCL's Manali refinery is rated at 10.5 million tonnes a year and includes crude distillation, hydrocracker, FCC, delayed coker and reforming units, plus lube and wax production.
Chennai's hazardous-area work centres on North Chennai, where Chennai Petroleum Corporation (CPCL) runs the Manali refinery and Kamarajar Port (Ennore) handles liquid and gas cargoes. Refining, lube and wax production and LNG handling create Zone 1 areas. This page explains what to look for in an industrial mobile phone for Chennai (Manali and Ennore industrial area), 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 Chennai (Manali and Ennore industrial area): pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Where things stand: the IS-04Z1 has not launched, and none of its four certification routes has produced a certificate yet. Operator approval runs on its own timeline. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Ingress protection | IP rating for dust and water | IP68 design |
| Fleet management | EMM and MDM support | Android 16 with EMM and MDM |
| Explosion protection | A separate certificate and marking | In progress; not issued |
| Where it applies | Chennai (Manali and Ennore industrial area): LNG regasification, Refinery process units, Lube base stock and wax plants | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Chennai India. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The companies on site and the hazardous-area types a handset is likely to meet there.
CPCL's Manali refinery is rated at 10.5 million tonnes a year and includes crude distillation, hydrocracker, FCC, delayed coker and reforming units, plus lube and wax production.
Kamarajar Port, about 18 km north of Chennai Port, has a marine liquid terminal for petroleum, oils and chemicals and an Indian Oil LNG import terminal of 5 million tonnes a year.
Chennai sits on the flat Eastern Coastal Plains on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, and its location on the thermal equator means little seasonal temperature variation.
Chennai Petroleum acts as a mother industry for Manali, supplying feedstocks to neighbouring plants, and its products are marketed through Indian Oil, which is now its majority shareholder.
Most rain comes from the northeast monsoon between October and December, when cyclones are common and flooding of low-lying areas can occur, with about 120 centimetres a year.
A propylene plant of 17,000 tonnes a year, commissioned in 1988, and a 30,000 tonne a year paraffin wax plant add petrochemical and wax operations to the fuel refinery.
“Industrial” describes a phone built for plant conditions: sealed, drop-resistant and manageable at fleet scale through Android Enterprise. It does not by itself mean the phone may enter a classified area. Only a device with a valid explosion-protection certificate and marking may do that.
The IS-04Z1 is designed to be both an industrial Android phone (IP68, 4,000 mAh battery, 50 MP camera, Android 16 with EMM and MDM support) and an intrinsically safe one. Its explosion-protection certificates are in progress and have not been issued.
In Chennai (Manali and Ennore industrial area). Refinery and port shifts here involve resident staff, contract crews and marine personnel with different data needs. MDM or EMM enrolment keeps one managed fleet across those groups, and the IS-04Z1 supports it. Charging and software updates would take place in safe areas such as control rooms or workshops, not on process units.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
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.
SAMS has not published a price. Any figure you are offered for an uncertified Ex phone should be treated with caution; written indicative pricing is available for a defined quantity and site.
Yes by design: IP68 sealing, a 4,000 mAh battery, a 50 MP camera and Android 16 with EMM and MDM support. The explosion-protection certificates are separate and still in progress.
Likely candidates are refinery process units, lube base stock and wax plants, crude and product storage, marine liquid terminal. 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.
A refinery and petrochemical complex has process units, tank farms, loading gantries and feedstock lines, all with classified areas set by the operators. Confirm each operator's area classification and accepted equipment approvals before a visit.
Most rain and cyclones arrive between October and December, and low-lying areas can flood. Plan equipment deliveries and shutdown work outside that window where possible, and keep devices in sealed cases during transport.
Salt-laden humid air accelerates corrosion on ports, seals and contacts. An IP68 sealed design helps, and rinsing and routine inspection of seals remain good practice. Battery life also depends on heat. Ask the site's inspection team what cleaning and storage routines they expect for portable equipment.
Related guides for Chennai India and for India.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.