Salt air and humidity
Coastal sites carry salt in the air all year, and southern sites add heat and humidity. IP68 sealing is the starting point.
China · Petrochemical
Explosion proof mobile phone for petrochemical sites in China
China's petrochemical capacity is concentrated in very large refining and chemical complexes along the eastern and southern coast, run by state groups, private companies and foreign joint ventures. This page is for the HSE and telecoms teams who need an explosion proof mobile phone in China that can enter crackers, tank farms and polymer plants. The IS-04Z1 is designed around intrinsic safety rather than a flameproof enclosure.
Launching Q4 2026 · NEPSI and IECEx programme in progress
Local approvalNEPSI · IECExIECEx · NEPSI in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
The sector · Petrochemical
Explosion proof mobile phone for petrochemical complexes in China
The complexes named most often are not all state-owned. Sinopec runs Zhenhai at Ningbo, Maoming in Guangdong and others (see the page for an explosion proof phone for Sinopec). Zhejiang Petroleum and Chemical, a private company, operates a large integrated refinery and ethylene complex on Zhoushan Island; trade press reported a 1.4 million tonne a year ethylene plant there. Hengli's Changxing Island complex at Dalian is another private site, with large PTA capacity. At Huizhou in Daya Bay, Guangdong, ExxonMobil began operating its wholly owned chemical complex in July 2025, built around a 1.6 million tonne a year steam cracker, and CNOOC is present there too. BASF has been building a Verbund site at Zhanjiang. These sites are new, which means documentation is often modern, but they are also very large, with sprawling pipe racks, many contractors and a steady turnaround programme. The gas hazards are hydrocarbons, ethylene, hydrogen and aromatics, and the dust hazard is polyolefin powder.
Operators and sites
- Sinopec complexes
- Zhenhai (Ningbo), Maoming and others. See the explosion proof phone for Sinopec page.
- PetroChina petrochemical companies
- Including Dalian and Daqing Petrochemical. See PetroChina.
- Zhejiang Petroleum and Chemical
- Zhoushan Island refinery and ethylene complex, privately held.
- Hengli Petrochemical
- Changxing Island, Dalian; refining, aromatics and PTA.
- ExxonMobil Huizhou
- Daya Bay, Guangdong; steam cracker, polyethylene and polypropylene.
- BASF Zhanjiang
- Verbund site in Guangdong, in development.
- Engineering and turnaround contractors
- Large construction and maintenance firms moving crews between complexes.
Classified units and areas
- Steam crackers and furnaces
- Ethylene and hydrogen; ethylene is gas group IIB, hydrogen IIC.
- Aromatics and PTA plants
- Flammable liquids and vapours, with separate dust at product handling.
- Polyolefin powder silos and extruders
- Combustible dust in Zone 21 or 22.
- Tank farms
- Floating-roof tanks and spheres with their own envelopes.
- Loading gantries and jetties
- Truck, rail and ship loading connections.
- Pipe racks and utility areas
- Long runs with many flanges, with Zone 2 pockets.
- Control buildings and offices
- Safe areas, where the phone is simply a phone.
Built for local conditions
What large coastal complexes do to a handset
Scale is the problem. A handset has to be worth issuing in hundreds, and it has to survive a salty, humid, windy coast.
IP ratingIP68
Battery4,000 mAh
Camera50 MP
OSAndroid 16
Hydrogen and ethylene together
A cracker has hydrogen in gas group IIC next to ethylene. The IS-04Z1 is being certified to a Zone 1, IIC design target (II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4), which covers both.
Powder as well as gas
Polyolefin powder at silos and extruders is a Zone 21 or 22 dust matter. The device's dust target sits next to the gas target so one handset serves both areas.
Very large sites
A complex at this scale means long distances between units. The 4,000 mAh battery is specified to cover a shift without recharging inside the classified area.
Hundreds of contractors in a turnaround
A cracker turnaround puts a large temporary workforce onto the site. Enrolment in an existing MDM console lets the owner issue, restrict and wipe handsets by crew.
How work is organised
Turnarounds, joint ventures and approvals
Complexes run continuously between planned turnarounds on a multi-year cycle, and the weeks around a turnaround are when the largest numbers of contractors enter classified areas. Foreign joint ventures can bring their own corporate standards alongside local requirements, so a supplier may be asked for IECEx or ATEX evidence as well as the domestic route. We have not verified a published supplier-registration programme at any of these operators and do not name one. Ask the site owner's procurement and HSE teams which Ex certificates and documents they accept, and whether supply must run through a China-registered partner. NEPSI is among the certification routes in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Cracker01
Furnace and compressor rounds
An operator checks furnaces and compressors, photographs a flange weep and logs its position, and the maintenance planner has both before the next shift.
Polymer02
Silo and extruder inspection
A technician at a polyolefin powder line records a dust build-up and a worn seal with a photograph and a position, inside a Zone 21 or 22 area.
Turnaround03
Contractor coordination
A turnaround brings crews into many units at once. Enrolled handsets carry permits and daily progress, with the camera and applications set by the owner.
Questions · Petrochemical
Frequently asked questions
Is every complex run by Sinopec or PetroChina?
No. Private companies such as Zhejiang Petroleum and Chemical and Hengli, and foreign ventures such as ExxonMobil at Huizhou, run major sites with their own procurement.
Does one handset cover gas and dust at a polymer plant?
The design target is Zone 1 gas and Zone 21 dust, so one handset is intended to serve both once certified. The site's own classification drawing still decides where it may go.
Does newer construction simplify approval?
It can, because documentation is often more consistent, but each site's own area classification and owner approval still apply.
Is the IS-04Z1 certified for petrochemical sites yet?
No. It is pre-launch and certification is in progress ahead of Q4 2026. It must not enter a classified area before the certificate exists.
Enquiry · Petrochemical
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for Petrochemical, China
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 China. 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 · Petrochemical
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.