A catalytic reactor including a heat exchanger and a method are provided for transferring heat to a coolant and a reaction fluid. The catalytic reactor includes a reaction fluid flow path, a reaction region, and a coolant flow path. A reaction fluid catalytically reacts at a surface area in the reaction region thereby generating heat. The heat is transferred to a coolant and the reaction fluid based on the coolant and reaction fluid convective heat transfer coefficients respectively. In one embodiment, the ratio of the coolant convective heat transfer coefficient to the reaction fluid heat transfer coefficient is at least 5:1.