A dual catalytic fixed-bed reactor packed with two layers of vanadia-titania catalyst having non-uniform activities is used as a fixed-bed reactor for oxidation of o-xylene by air into phthalic anhydride. Unsteady-state and two dimensional pseudohomogeneous model describing the dual catalytic fixed-bed reactor is simulated by using finite element method. We simulated fluid temperature profile and its corresponding concentration and coolant temperature profiles of the dual-catalytic fixed-bed reactor on the basis of the temperature profile measured from the reactor of the process producing phthalic anhydride in an industrial plant at the same operating conditions. We compared temperature, concentration and coolant temperature profiles of a uniform catalytic fixed-bed reactor with uniform activity with the standard(measured) profile and with the temperature profile of the dual-catalytic fixed-bed reactor at the same operating conditions. Model prediction of dual-catalytic fixed-bed reactor is in good agreement with experimental data over the entire range of the temperature profile, and uniform catalytic fixed-bed reactor generated higher temperature rise than non-uniform catalytic fixed-bed reactor in the hot spot region. Consequently, the dual-catalytic fixed-bed reactor with activity-profiled plays a decisive role to suppress excessive temperature rise of hot spot which is occurred in the uniform catalytic fixed-bed reactor, and it predicts safe operation of the reactor.