Refining
ExxonMobil's refinery dates from 1909 and has a reported capacity of 540,000 barrels a day as of 2020. It is among the largest in the US.
Baton Rouge is the Louisiana state capital on the Mississippi River. Its economy is anchored by petrochemicals, with ExxonMobil's refinery and chemical complex in the city and Dow operations nearby. Class I and Zone 1 areas occur at process units, tank farms and docks. This page explains what to look for in an intrinsically safe mobile phone for Baton Rouge, 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 Baton Rouge: 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. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Level of protection | ia, ib or ic matched to the zone | ib, for Zone 1 |
| Entity parameters | Uo, Io and Po within the device limits | Published with the certificate |
| Accessories | Chargers and cases certified with the device | Defined at certification |
| Where it applies | Baton Rouge: Refinery process units, Chemical plant units, Tank farms | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Baton Rouge. 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.
ExxonMobil's refinery dates from 1909 and has a reported capacity of 540,000 barrels a day as of 2020. It is among the largest in the US.
The Port of Greater Baton Rouge is the farthest inland point on the Mississippi that ocean-going vessels can reach, linking industry to rail, pipeline and barge.
Baton Rouge is the Louisiana state capital with more than 800,000 residents and is a significant port and a major industrial and petrochemical centre on the Mississippi River.
The refinery operates under a Title V major air permit and reports greenhouse gas emissions to the EPA each year, so environmental compliance is part of site management.
The refinery has a capacity of 540,000 barrels per day as of 2020, and the main plant sits on the east bank of the Mississippi River.
Eight interconnected sites operate round the clock and the complex produces more than 2.9 billion pounds of products annually, with the operator being the state's second-largest employer.
Intrinsic safety limits the electrical and thermal energy in a circuit so that neither a spark nor a hot surface can ignite a gas or dust atmosphere, even when a fault occurs. The ib level, used for Zone 1, tolerates one fault. It is the usual way to make a handheld device that a worker carries continuously through a hazardous area.
The IS-04Z1 is designed on this principle for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4). Intrinsic safety is a design basis, not a certificate: certification is in progress and none has been issued yet.
In Baton Rouge. Rounds at the refinery and chemical units cover process areas, tank farms and loading docks. A handheld designed for intrinsic safety lets operators photograph and record readings at the point of work. At the port, dock and loading inspections benefit in the same way, without leaving the area for each note.
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.
The circuits are designed to limit energy so a spark or hot surface cannot ignite a gas or dust atmosphere, even with one fault (level ib, Zone 1). Certification of that design is in progress.
Likely candidates are refinery process units, chemical plant units, tank farms, dock and loading facilities. 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.
US refineries traditionally use NEC Class and Division, and many now accept IEC Zone-marked equipment. Confirm which scheme and gas group the facility's classification uses and what certification mark it accepts.
The Gulf Coast has a hurricane season, which can alter work schedules and site access. Confirm schedule risk and weather policy with the operator and contractor.
US plants have traditionally used Class and Division, and Zone-based classification is also used. Which applies depends on the operator's engineering standards for each area. ExxonMobil's engineering and safety teams approve equipment, so confirm requirements with the site operator before specifying.
Related guides for Baton Rouge and for United States.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.