A dual bed catalyst system consisting of a metallic Ni monolith catalyst in the front followed by a supported nickel catalyst Ni/MgAl2O4 has been studied for the autothermal partial oxidation of methane to synthesis gas. The effects of bed configuration, reforming bed length, feed temperature and gas hourly space velocity on the reaction as well as the stability are investigated. The results show that the metallic Ni monolith in the front functions as the oxidation catalyst, which prevents the exposure of the reforming catalyst in the back to the very high temperature, while the supported Ni/MgAl2O4 in the back functions as the reforming catalyst which further increases the methane conversion by 5%. A typical 5 mmNi monolith-5mmNi/MgAl2O4 dual bed catalyst exhibits methane conversion and hydrogen and carbon monoxide selectivities of 85.3%, 91.5% and 93.0%, respectively, under autothermal conditions at a methane to oxygen molar ratio of 2.0 and gas hourly space velocity of 1.0 x 10(5) h(-1). The dual bed catalyst system is also very stable. (c) 2009 Professor T. Nejat Veziroglu. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.