Large units, small depots
At a refinery, a round covers kilometres. At a fuel depot, one operator may cover the gantry, tank farm and pump house alone. The same managed handset can carry a lone-worker check-in at both.
Portugal · Refining, Polymers and Fuels
Explosion proof mobile phone for Refining, Polymers and Fuels in Portugal
Portuguese oil refining is now concentrated at Sines, with polymers beside it and a chain of fuel storage terminals behind, and this page is for the teams who decide which explosion proof mobile phone Portugal's downstream sites will accept. The IS-04Z1 is an intrinsically safe Android handset designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21, with certification in progress ahead of a Q4 2026 launch.
Launching Q4 2026 · certification programme in progress
Local approvalATEXATEX 2014/34/EU · Decreto-Lei 111-C/2017 · in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
The sector · Portugal
Explosion proof mobile phone in Portugal: refining, polymers and fuels areas
Sines is the only operating refinery in the country. Galp's plant there, rated at around 220,000 barrels a day, is described on explosion proof phone for Galp, and Repsol's polymer complex next door on explosion proof phone for Repsol Polímeros. The older Matosinhos refinery stopped fuel production in October 2020 according to press reports, and the site now serves storage and logistics. Behind both sit fuel depots and port jetties where gasoline, diesel and jet fuel are received, stored and loaded. Hydrocarbon vapour, group IIA and IIB, is the main hazard, with hydrogen in the conversion units and polymer powder in the plastics plants.
Site types
- Refinery process units
- Distillation, cracking and hydrogen systems at Sines.
- Polymer plants
- Olefin handling and powder solids at the Repsol complex.
- Port petroleum berths
- Cargo transfer at jetties on the Sines port side.
- Fuel storage depots
- Gasoline, diesel and jet tanks with truck gantries.
- Matosinhos site
- Former refinery now used for storage and distribution.
- Pipelines and pump stations
- Product transfer between port, depots and airports.
Hazard patterns
- Flammable vapour at tanks
- Floating-roof and fixed-roof tanks with vent and loading areas.
- Truck and ship loading
- Static control and vapour recovery at gantries and berths.
- Hydrogen in conversion units
- Group IIC atmospheres in hydrocrackers and hydrogen headers.
- Sour services
- Hydrogen sulphide, toxic as well as flammable.
- Polymer powder
- Dust clouds in silos, conveyors and bagging, needing Zone 21.
- Maintenance hot work
- Permit-controlled work next to live units during shutdowns.
Built for local conditions
What downstream sites do to a handset
Downstream work is spread across a complex and a network. The handset has to cope with large process units as well as small, lightly staffed depots.
Static and loading discipline
Loading gantries are where phones are most tightly controlled. A certified device with a locked-down application set is easier to approve than a general phone with an open app store.
Shutdown calendars
A refinery shutdown lasts weeks, such as the 25-day stop at Sines in October 2022 reported in the trade press. Contractor devices need enrolling quickly, and the console should allow bulk enrolment and clean wiping.
Weather and wash-down
Atlantic coastal weather, jetty spray and routine cleaning are the working conditions, and IP68 sealing is aimed at them. The 50 MP camera produces clear defect photographs for inspection records.
Use cases
Where the IS-04Z1 would be used
Refining01
Process unit rounds and inspection
Operators and inspectors walk between units, photographing defects and logging readings. A single device replaces a radio, a camera and a notebook inside the classified boundary.
Polymers02
Gas and dust areas in one building
A polymer plant has hydrocarbon on the reactor floor and powder in the silo bay. A Zone 1 and Zone 21 design avoids carrying two devices.
Fuels logistics03
Depot and berth operations
Terminal staff and drivers work under strict rules at loading points. A handset managed from the operator's console enforces the approved applications and disables the camera where required.
Approvals and access
What refiners and terminal operators will ask for
Refineries and fuel depots are usually Seveso sites, and the operators set their own supplier and contractor approvals. We have verified no named programme, so ask each operator's procurement and HSE teams what documents and site induction they need. The standard product evidence is the ATEX certificate, the marking, gas group, temperature class and a service statement.
The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch. No certificate has been issued, SAMS has no customer relationship with the operators mentioned, and nothing is supplied for use in a classified area until the certificate exists. For the LNG side of the Sines estate, see explosion proof phone for hydrogen and LNG at Sines.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Why is a fuel depot different from a refinery for phone policy?
A depot is small and often staffed by one or two people, so lone-worker safety and loading rules dominate. A refinery has long routes and many contractors, so enrolment and range dominate.
Is jet fuel a Zone 1 hazard?
Jet fuel has a higher flash point than gasoline, so classified areas around it are often smaller, but loading and tank vapour spaces can still be classified. The operator's area classification governs each case.
Does the Matosinhos site still need Ex equipment?
A storage and distribution site still has classified areas at tanks and loading points. The scale is smaller than at a process plant, but the equipment rule is the same.
Enquiry · Refining, Polymers and Fuels
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for Refining, Polymers and Fuels, Portugal
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 Portugal. 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 · Refining, Polymers and Fuels
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.