A model was developed that successfully describes key operating features of a 5 kW(e)-scale autothermal diesel fuel reformer with an engineered monolith-supported Rh based catalyst. The model consisted of a kinetic model comprised of four overall reactions including total oxidation, fuel steam reforming, methane formation via fuel decomposition and the water-gas shift reaction. The model also accounted for heat and mass transport effects that were of importance when coupling the exothermic oxidation reactions with endothermic steam reforming reactions in a full-scale reformer. According to the model, the total oxidation and steam reforming reactions occurred simultaneously, however the heat effects of the oxidation reaction dominated near the reactor inlet resulting in a local hot spot. Transport resistances were found to hinder the rates of the main reactions, especially at higher temperature operating conditions. The model was primarily based on experimental data for a commercial low-sulphur diesel fuel (MK1), however it was found to also reasonably well describe the operation of the reactor with a diesel surrogate (n-tetradecane). (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.