Hydrogen sets the design case
Hydrocracking and reforming are hydrogen service, which is gas group IIC. The marking target of II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4 is set at the strictest case so a single fleet can cover the refinery, aromatics and plastics.
Oman · OQ
Explosion proof mobile phone for OQ's Sohar operations
OQ runs Oman's integrated refining and petrochemical complex at Sohar, and an explosion proof mobile phone for Sohar has to combine hydrocarbon Zone 1, hydrogen service, polymer dust and coastal humidity. The IS-04Z1 is designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 duty on sites like these in Oman. The IS-04Z1 is designed around intrinsic safety rather than a flameproof enclosure.
Launching Q4 2026 · certification and vendor documentation in progress
Local approvalMOCIIP · IECExIECEx · Omani conformity in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
The company · OQ
Where an explosion proof mobile phone works across OQ's sites
OQ is Oman's state energy group, and its downstream footprint is concentrated on a few coastal sites. At Sohar the refinery was brought onstream in 2006 with a capacity of 116,000 barrels a day, and the Sohar Refinery Improvement Project added five units (crude and vacuum distillation, a delayed coker, a hydrocracker and bitumen blowing) to lift capacity to 198,000 barrels a day. Beside it are aromatics and the Liwa Plastics complex. OQ also holds a half share of the Duqm refinery joint venture, OQ8, with Kuwait Petroleum International, and runs LPG operations at Salalah. Each of these has its own hazards: hydrogen in the hydrocracker, hot residue and coke in the coker, solvent and aromatic vapour in the petrochemical units, and polymer dust at the plastics plant.
OQ sites
- Sohar refinery
- Crude distillation, coker, hydrocracker and bitumen units.
- Sohar aromatics
- Petrochemical units processing refinery streams.
- Liwa Plastics
- Polymer production, silos and bagging.
- Salalah LPG
- LPG storage and loading on the Dhofar coast.
- OQ8 Duqm
- Refinery joint venture with Kuwait Petroleum International.
- Sohar tank farms
- Crude, product and chemical storage within the estate.
Classified units and areas
- Distillation and coking
- Zone 1 around furnaces, columns, pumps and drains; hot surfaces and coke handling.
- Hydrocracking
- Hydrogen service; gas group IIC, which sets the strictest design case.
- Aromatics
- Zone 1 at reactors, sample points and loading.
- Polymer silos and bagging
- Combustible dust; Zone 21 inside silos and conveyors.
- Tank farm and loading
- Vents, manifolds and loading arms.
- Control rooms
- Safe areas; where the charging point is.
Built for local conditions
What OQ's plants do to a handset
A refinery and a plastics plant are different kinds of dirty, and coastal humidity runs across both. A single device specification has to serve both.
IP ratingIP68
Battery4,000 mAh
Camera50 MP
OSAndroid 16
Humidity and salt off the Gulf of Oman
Sohar is damp and salty all year. A rugged build is aimed at humidity and salt, and IP68 covers the washdown applied around process plants.
Polymer and coke dust
Zone 21 is a design target alongside Zone 1, so the handset can work in silo areas and coke handling as well as in gas areas.
Turnaround populations
A shutdown brings in contractors for the duration of a scope. Android 16 with Android Enterprise enrols a lent fleet, restricts the camera and wipes units at demobilisation.
Records that travel
Four-constellation GNSS and a 50 MP camera turn an observation at a furnace or a seal into a record a corrosion engineer elsewhere can act on.
Use cases · OQ
Where the IS-04Z1 goes to work.
Refining01
Rounds across distillation and coking
An operator walking a unit logs readings, photographs a defect and calls the control room without carrying three items past the same gate. Position and photograph go on the record together.
Petrochemicals02
Inspection in aromatics and polymer plants
Inspectors cross between gas areas and dust areas in one visit. One device designed for Zone 1 gas and Zone 21 dust avoids swapping equipment halfway through a round.
Turnarounds03
Shutdown scopes at Sohar
Hundreds of contractors work to permits issued each morning. Enrolled devices carry the permit, the isolation record and the daily report, and are wiped when the scope closes.
The approval path
Two gates for OQ
National conformity and OQ's own vendor approval run on separate timelines, and neither is complete for the IS-04Z1.
National side
- IECEx
- Certificate of Conformity as the technical basis; in progress.
- Product conformity
- Through the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion.
- Radio
- TRA type approval and an import permit.
OQ side
- Vendor review
- OQ's procurement, telecoms and HSE teams set the equipment submission requirements; ask them for the format before preparing a file.
- JSRS and ICV
- Suppliers to Omani energy companies are generally expected to hold a JSRS certificate and show In-Country Value.
- Site security
- Camera and portable electronics policy is set per site.
Questions · OQ
Frequently asked questions
Is the IS-04Z1 approved for OQ sites?
No, not yet. National certification is a prerequisite for OQ's own vendor review, and neither is complete. The device is pre-launch with certification in progress ahead of Q4 2026.
Why is gas group IIC the design case?
Hydrogen is gas group IIC, and the hydrocracker and reformer are hydrogen service. Designing to IIC covers the less demanding groups too, so one handset can serve several units.
Does one device cover both the refinery and the plastics plant?
It is designed for Zone 1 gas and Zone 21 dust, so in principle yes, but whether it covers a specific area depends on your hazardous area classification and the certificate once issued.
Can contractors be issued devices for a shutdown?
Yes by design: enrol them into your MDM, restrict the apps and camera, and wipe them at demobilisation.
Enquiry · OQ
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for OQ, Oman
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 Oman. 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 · OQ
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.