A computational model of the Julich type pre-reformer and its experimental validation used in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is introduced. A continuum modelling approach has been attended and its feasibility verified. The fluid flow, heat transfer and chemical reacting species transport within the pre-reformer are numerically solved using 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based on the finite volume method. The model considers the typical sub-components of the pre-reformer including the solid frame, air channels, catalyst and the wire mesh structures. Experimental measurements are used to supply appropriate boundary conditions for the simulations. The predicted results of the simulations are experimentally validated using thermocouples and gas chromatography. The results show good agreement, implying that the proposed model is an invaluable tool that can be used to reduce costly experiments in the design and process optimisation of the pre-reformer. (C) 2009 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.