This document reports deuterium absorption and material phase characteristics of SAES St 198 Zr-Fe Alloy (76.5% Zr). Scanning electron microscope images of polished surfaces, electron probe microanalysis, and x-ray powder diffractometry indicated the presence of a primary Zr{sub 2}Fe phase with secondary phases of ZrFe{sub 2}, Zr{sub 5}FeSn, {alpha}-Zr, and Zr{sub 6}Fe{sub 3}O. A statistically designed experiment to determine the effects of temperature, time, and vacuum quality on activation of St 198 revealed that, when activated at low temperature (350C), deuterium absorption rate was slower when the vacuum quality was poor (2.5 Pa vs. 3 {times} 10{sup {minus}4} Pa). However, at higher activation temperature (500C), deuterium absorption rate was fast and was independent of vacuum quality. Deuterium pressure-composition-temperature (P-C-T) data are reported for St 198 in the temperature range 200 to 500C. The P-C-T data over the full range of deuterium loading and at temperatures of 350C and below is described an expression. At higher temperatures, one or more secondary reactions in the solid phase occur that slowly consume D{sub 2} from the gas phase. X-ray diffraction and other data suggest these reactions to be: 2 Zr{sub 2}FeD{sub x} {yields} xZrD{sub 2} + x/3 ZrFe{sub 2} + (2 {minus} 2/3x) Zr{sub 2}Fe and Zr{sub 2}FeD{sub x} + (2 {minus} 1/2x) D{sub 2} {yields} 2 ZrD{sub 2} + Fe, where 0 < x < 3. Reaction between gas-phase deuterium and Zr{sub 2}Fe formed in the first reaction accounts for the observed consumption of deuterium from the gas phase by this reaction.