Rain, humidity and condensation
Heavy seasonal rainfall and sustained humidity attack seals, ports and connectors. IP68 sealing, tested for dust and immersion, is a more useful starting point than a high temperature rating.
Brazil · Vale
Explosion proof mobile phone for Vale, Brazil
An explosion proof mobile phone for Vale in Brazil is not mainly about iron ore dust. Iron ore itself is not a combustible dust; the classified areas at Vale's mines, pellet plants and ports come from fuel, coal and other combustible materials, workshops and process plant. This page is for the safety, maintenance and telecoms teams who set what may be carried across those boundaries from the mine face to the ship loader. The IS-04Z1 is designed around intrinsic safety rather than a flameproof enclosure.
Launching Q4 2026 · IECEx dust-rating programme in progress
Local approvalINMETRO · Portaria 115/2022Zone 1 / Zone 21 · certification in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
The sites · Vale
Where an explosion proof mobile phone is needed on Vale's Brazilian sites
Vale runs two large iron ore systems in Brazil. The Northern System is built around Carajás in Pará, in the Amazon region, including the S11D complex at Canaã dos Carajás, which ships through the Carajás railway to the Ponta da Madeira terminal at São Luís, Maranhão. The Southeastern System is in Minas Gerais, with mines such as Brucutu, and ships through the Vitória railway to the port complex at Tubarão in Espírito Santo. Most of that estate is open mining and conveyors. Classification applies to the parts of it that handle fuel, coal or flammable materials.
Sites and systems
- Carajás, Pará
- Mining complex in the Amazon region, including S11D at Canaã dos Carajás.
- Ponta da Madeira, São Luís
- Maritime terminal at the end of the Carajás railway.
- Brucutu, Minas Gerais
- Mine in the Southeastern System, with processing on site.
- Tubarão, Vitória
- Port and pelletising complex in Espírito Santo.
- Railways
- The Carajás and Vitória-Minas lines, with fuelling and maintenance depots.
- Workshops and heavy plant yards
- Maintenance of haul fleets, locomotives and wagons.
- Offices and control centres
- Operational control rooms and offices outside the classified boundary.
Where classification applies
- Pellet plants
- Fuel supply, burners and, where used, coal or other solid fuel handling.
- Fuel depots and filling points
- Diesel and lubricant storage for haul trucks and locomotives.
- Coal and solid fuel stockyards
- Combustible dust in handling, with Zone 21 or 22 rules.
- Battery and charging rooms
- Hydrogen can accumulate in poorly ventilated charging areas.
- Chemical and reagent stores
- Flotation and treatment reagents, depending on the plant.
- Electrical substations
- Normally not classified, but may be close to classified plant.
- Iron ore handling
- Generally not a combustible-dust area; check the site classification.
Built for local conditions
What Carajás and the south do to a handset
Carajás is in a rainforest region and Minas Gerais has a distinct dry and wet season. Neither is a desert, and that changes what fails first.
IP ratingIP68
Battery4,000 mAh
Camera50 MP
OSAndroid 16
Distances measured in kilometres of conveyor
S11D is designed with in-pit crushing and conveyors in place of a truck fleet, and processing plants are large. Four-constellation GNSS puts a position on a defect report instead of a landmark.
Gloves, vibration and drops
Mine and plant maintenance is rough on a phone. The handset is built to the rugged build, and a wrist or lanyard strap is standard practice on a site like this.
Mining rules and plant classification together
Brazilian mining is governed by NR-22, and plants add NR-10 and NR-20 duties. A device that carries the permit and the inspection record helps, but classification of each area is for the site to set.
Contractor crews and shutdowns
Pellet plants and ports are maintained with contractor crews during planned stops. Android Enterprise enrolment makes it possible to issue a managed handset to a crew and recover it afterwards.
Use cases · Vale
Where the IS-04Z1 goes to work at Vale.
Processing01
Pellet plant rounds
A round through a pelletising unit covers fuel supply, burners and conveyors. A handset rated for the classified parts lets the operator photograph a fault and call the control room without leaving the area.
Rail and fuel02
Locomotive fuelling and depots
Fuel depots on a rail system are small, remote and often staffed by one or two people. Four-constellation GNSS and a managed app set suit that pattern.
Port03
Ship loading at Ponta da Madeira or Tubarão
Berths are busy and weather-dependent. A handset lets the shore team record loading status and escalate a defect on a conveyor, without a separate radio and camera.
Questions · Vale
Frequently asked questions
Is the IS-04Z1 certified for use at Vale sites yet?
No. The device is pre-launch, and IECEx, ATEX and the Brazilian INMETRO certification are in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Is iron ore dust explosive?
Iron ore itself is an oxide and is not a combustible dust. The relevant hazards at a mining and pelletising site come from fuels, coal or other solid fuels, and charging rooms. Confirm each area's classification with the site's safety team.
Does the humidity of Carajás affect the handset?
It affects seals and connectors more than most sites. IP68 sealing is the design basis, and the usual advice is to keep ports closed and dry the device after heavy rain.
Would approval at one Vale site cover another?
Vale applies company standards, but each site has its own classification and local sign-off. Ask for the site-specific position.
Enquiry · Vale
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for Vale, Brazil
Tell us the site, the zone and gas group, and roughly how many handsets. The SAMS team replies by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule for Brazil. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and certification is in progress, so there is no list price yet; indicative pricing is issued in writing against a stated quantity and site.
Enquiry · Vale
Launching Q4 2026
Evaluating the IS-04Z1 for this site?
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule for your market.