Projects
A blue hydrogen facility is under construction, so project and contractor activity continues alongside operations.
ExxonMobil is developing a large blue hydrogen facility at Baytown, adding a new type of process plant to the complex. ExxonMobil's complex there, founded in 1919, combines a refinery with chemical and ethylene units, and Chevron Phillips and Covestro also run large plants, so classified areas span process units, crackers and storage. This page explains what to look for in a rugged smartphone for Baytown, Texas (ExxonMobil Baytown complex), 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 Baytown, Texas (ExxonMobil Baytown complex): 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. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ingress protection | IP65 to IP68 sealing | IP68 design |
| Drop and shock | A stated drop height onto concrete | Specification on request |
| Explosion protection | A separate certificate and marking | In progress; not issued |
| Where it applies | Baytown, Texas (ExxonMobil Baytown complex): Refinery process units, Ethylene cracking units, Chemical plant units | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Baytown Refinery. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
A short profile of the site and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
A blue hydrogen facility is under construction, so project and contractor activity continues alongside operations.
The ExxonMobil refinery covers about 3,400 acres and is reported at 588,000 barrels of crude a day. It is the largest employer in the city.
ExxonMobil's Baytown complex covers about 3,400 acres on the Houston Ship Channel, around 25 miles east of Houston, and includes a refinery, chemical plant, olefins plant, plastics plant and a global technology center.
An advanced recycling facility at Baytown has operated since December 2022, with capacity to process 80 million pounds of plastic waste a year.
The Baytown Refinery opened in 1919, has a capacity of 588,000 barrels per day, and is the city's largest employer and the fifth-largest refinery in the United States.
The refinery has a Nelson Complexity Index of 13.7, indicating a highly complex configuration with many conversion units.
A rugged phone is built to survive water, dust, drops and rough handling, usually rated by an IP code and a drop specification. Ruggedness is an environmental property: it says nothing about whether a phone may be used where flammable gas or dust is present. That is decided by explosion-protection certification and marking.
The IS-04Z1 combines both: an IP68 sealed rugged build and a design for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4). The explosion-protection certificates are in progress and none has been issued.
In Baytown, Texas (ExxonMobil Baytown complex). The Houston Ship Channel area brings heat, humidity, rain and industrial dust, with spray at docks. An IP68 rating suits wet and dirty handling and washdown. It is not explosion protection, and it does not replace the Ex certification that remains in progress for SAMS.
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.
It is designed to IP68 sealing, with glove-friendly controls. Ruggedness is not explosion protection: that depends on the certificates, which are in progress.
Likely candidates are refinery process units, ethylene cracking units, chemical plant units, ship channel storage and docks. 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.
Expansions such as the 2023 chemical lines supported 3,500 construction jobs, so peak construction periods bring many contractors. Confirm schedules and induction requirements with the operator.
Process units, olefins and polymer plants, tank farms and loading areas have gas and dust hazards, with hydrogen areas needing IIC. Request the site classification drawings for exact zones.
ExxonMobil's complex, founded in 1919, combines a refinery with chemical and ethylene units, and Chevron Phillips and Covestro also run large plants nearby. Areas therefore range from process units to crackers and storage. Confirm which plant and area a task is in, and what the operator requires.
More on Baytown Refinery, and on other places in United States.
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.