[en] The Breached Fuel Test Facility (BFTF) is a multipurpose experimental facility, designed to provide the capability to conduct and monitor safety and fuel behavior experiments under move severe conditions than previously allowed in EBR-II. The facility consists of an outer thimble assembly with an internal instrument stalk which extends from the reactor floor through the primary tank cover to the top of the core. Coolant from a breached element test is directed upward to the instrument train above the core. The BFTF has the capability to measure flow, temperature, particle size distribution and deposition, and delayed neutron levels for breach site characterization. This paper describes the design, the instrumentation, the operational safety concerns and the initial experiments