Microcircuit cooling for gas turbine engine combustor

A combustor component of a gas turbine engine, comprising:

• a bulkhead heat shield panel defining a combustion chamber, said bulkhead heat shield panel defining a bend and a microcircuit flow path within a thickness of said bulkhead heat shield panel;
• and
• wherein said microcircuit flow path includes a first elongated section and a second, distinct elongated section, said first elongated section having an inlet and said second elongated section having an outlet, said first and second sections connected at said bend, said microcircuit flow path at said bend being positioned radially between said inlet and said outlet, said microcircuit flow path follows said bend such that the microcircuit flow path is generally circular in cross section, and said outlet is configured to eject flow impinging on a second heat shield panel defining said combustion chamber;
• and
• wherein said bulkhead heat shield panel extends between a forward end and an aft end and said outlet extends through said aft end.

A method of cooling a combustor of a gas turbine engine comprising:

• providing a first heat shield panel defining a microcircuit flow path;
• communicating a cooling flow through a bend defined by said microcircuit flow path;
• wherein said microcircuit flow path includes an inlet and an outlet radially outward of said inlet, said microcircuit flow path at said bend being positioned radially between said inlet and said outlet;
• communicating the cooling flow through a flow swirler in communication with said microcircuit flow path and with a diffusion flow, said diffusion flow communicated from an annular passageway between a combustor case and said first heat shield panel;
• and
• ejecting flow from said flow swirler in a tangential direction with respect to an axial flow path and to a combustion chamber defined by said first heat shield panel.