Immediately after compressor operation, what occurs to compressed air?

When a compressor operates, it compresses air, which increases the air's pressure and temperature. Immediately after this compression process, the compressed air begins to expand as it moves into the next stage of the system or is released into the atmosphere. This expansion occurs because the high-pressure air tends to equalize with the lower pressure around it.

Furthermore, as the compressed air expands, it also cools down due to the Joule-Thomson effect, depending on whether it is allowed to expand freely or passes through a throttling device. While cooling and maintaining pressure are aspects related to the behavior of compressed air, the defining characteristic in this context is the immediate expansion that begins after the air is compressed.

This understanding of the behavior of compressed air underlines why the selected answer effectively captures the primary action that occurs right after compression.