Spread across regions
Refineries sit in the south-east, south, north-east and elsewhere, so logistics differ by site.
This is a regional grouping rather than a single site. Petrobras operates about ten refineries in Brazil, including Replan at Paulinia (415,000 barrels a day), Revap at Sao Jose dos Campos and Reduc at Duque de Caxias, each with classified process, storage and loading areas. If you are specifying an intrinsically safe smartphone for Brazilian refineries, 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 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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: Loading racks and jetties, Hydrotreater and hydrogen units, Flare and wastewater areas | 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.
The companies on site and the hazardous-area types a handset is likely to meet there.
Refineries sit in the south-east, south, north-east and elsewhere, so logistics differ by site.
Planned maintenance shutdowns bring large contractor workforces into classified areas; Reduc, for example, has shutdowns scheduled in 2026.
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.
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.
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.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
Not yet. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and its certification is still in progress ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. No unit goes into a classified area before the certificate covering it exists. The datasheet, the certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
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, 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.
Related guides for Brazil Refineries and for Brazil.
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.