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. At the Gabriel Passos refinery (Regap) in Betim, Minas Gerais, capacity of 166,000 b/d is being raised by 25,000 b/d with start-up planned for 2027, and sustainable aviation fuel production is being introduced. An intrinsically safe smartphone distributor in Brazilian refineries would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Brazilian refineries 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. A buyer's engineering review is separate from the certificate. 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 | Brazilian refineries: Flare and wastewater areas, Refinery process units, Crude and product tank farms | 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.
The Abreu e Lima refinery in Ipojuca, Pernambuco, is being expanded with a new production line to refine heavy crude from the pre-salt region.
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.
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.
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 Brazilian refineries. Planned maintenance shutdowns bring large contractor workforces into process units, and Reduc has shutdowns scheduled in 2026. A handheld that is intrinsically safe suits walkdowns, punch lists and inspections in those units. The IS-04Z1 is designed for this use, pending certification.
Distribution of the IS-04Z1 is by authorised partners only, and SAMS has not yet granted a territory for Brazilian refineries. 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.
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, 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.
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 Brazilian refineries.
Process units, pump areas, tank farms, loading racks and sample points commonly contain Zone 1 or Zone 2 gas areas, often gas group IIA or IIB with hydrogen areas in IIC. The refinery's area classification drawings are the authority, so request them before specifying handheld devices.
Current plans point to Replan, Repar, Regap, Reduc, RPBC and Abreu e Lima, with revamps, hydroprocessing and sustainable fuels projects announced. Timelines can shift, so treat them as indicative and confirm scope and schedule with the operator or its main contractors.
No. Petrobras has sold some refineries, for example RLAM in Bahia and Reman in Manaus, so procurement rules differ by owner. Purchasing is usually through registered-supplier processes. Confirm equipment approval and documentation requirements with the site operator and its HSE team.
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.