Hydrogen production by the two-step solar thermochemical cycle has high cycle efficiency, low cost, and a great development space. Of special interest is the solar thermochemical cycle based on ZnO/Zn redox reactions since its high theoretical hydrogen yield and relatively low endothermic reaction temperature. In this paper, a steady heat transfer model for thermal ZnO dissociation in a solar thermochemical reactor is developed, coupling conduction, convection and radiation with chemical reaction. Accuracy was evaluated by comparison of results obtained from other references. Based on the new proposed reactor, the model is adopted to analyze the operating parameter effect on the conversion rate and fluid feature inside the solar reactor. The results show that the mass flow rate of ZnO and aperture gas temperature have a positive relation with ZnO conversion rate, however, the diameter of particles and aperture gas velocity has an inverse relation with ZnO conversion rate under specific condition. The results will provide useful foundation for improving the solar-to-fuel conversion rate in the near future. (C) 2017 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.