System and method of operation and control for a multi-source heat pump

A heat pump system capable of transferring heat with both a ground source and a surrounding ambient atmosphere, said system comprising:

• a heat exchange fluid selected from a group consisting of air and liquid antifreeze;
• an atmospheric heat exchanger that exchanges heat with the ambient atmosphere;
• a heat pump unit, wherein said heat exchange fluid passes into said heat pump unit through an input port and exits said heat pump unit through an output port;
• a ground heat exchanger thermally coupled to the ground source, wherein said ground heat exchanger has a fluid input and a fluid output;
• a first valve set containing a first valve that controls flow of said heat exchange fluid between said fluid output of said ground heat exchanger and said input port of said heat pump unit, a second valve that that controls flow of said heat exchange fluid between said fluid output of said ground heat exchanger and said atmospheric heat exchanger, and a third valve that controls flow of said heat exchange fluid between said atmospheric heat exchanger and said input port of said heat pump unit, wherein said first valve set can selectively interconnect said input port of said heat pump unit to said fluid output of said ground heat exchanger, and can selectively interconnect said input port of said heat pump unit to said atmospheric heat exchanger, depending upon a selected mode of operation;
• a second valve set containing a fourth valve that controls flow of said heat exchange fluid between said output port of said heat pump unit and said fluid input of said ground heat exchanger, a fifth valve that controls flow of said heat exchange fluid between said atmospheric heat exchanger and said fluid input of said ground heat exchanger, and a sixth valve that controls flow of said heat exchange fluid between said output port of said heat pump unit and said atmospheric heat exchanger, wherein said second valve set can selectively interconnect said output port of said heat pump to said fluid input of said ground heat exchanger, can interconnect said output port of said heat pump to said atmospheric heat exchanger, and can interconnect said fluid input of said ground heat exchanger to said atmospheric heat exchanger, depending upon said selected mode of operation,
• wherein said first valve set and said second valve set have a first operational condition wherein said input port of said heat pump unit and said output port of said heat pump unit are both connected to said ground heat exchanger,
• wherein said first valve set and said second valve set have a second operational condition wherein said input port of said heat pump unit is connected to said fluid output of said ground heat exchanger and said atmospheric heat exchanger is connected to said fluid input of said ground exchanger,
• wherein said first valve set and said second valve set have a third operational condition wherein both said input port and said output port of said heat pump unit are connected to said atmospheric heat exchanger, and
• wherein said first valve set and said second valve set have a fourth operational condition wherein said input port of said heat pump unit is connected to said atmospheric heat exchanger and said output port of said heat pump unit is connected to said fluid input of said ground heat exchanger.