During a steam-purge daily start-up and shut-down operation of methane steam reforming (DSS), the plate-type alumina supported 17.9 wt% Ni catalyst showed deactivation, which resulted from the surface oxidation of sintered Ni. As an approach, considering its high resistance against coke, a methane-purge DSS-like SRM was proposed over 17.9 wt% Ni catalyst. Although favorable DSS SRM reactivity was shown, such DSS-like SRM mode was not industrially applicable, when referring to its complex operation, especially the coking potentiality. Therefore, as an ultimate measure, a 0.05 wt% trace noble metal Ru doped 17.9 wt% Ni catalyst was prepared. It was found that trace Ru-doping was effective for suppressing the deactivation, while an excellent catalytic behavior, that is, self-regeneration of this catalyst has been found during the steam-purge DSS SRM. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.