The classic analytical method can calculate the critical production rate of a horizontal well in a bottom water reservoir with a semi-permeable barrier, but the streamline simulation method can provide the production dynamic behavior in the development of the reservoir. In this paper, combining streamline simulation with analytical method, the accuracy of the formula of the critical production rate was validated by streamline simulation. Based on this, when the actual production rate was higher than the critical value, the production dynamic behavior of the reservoir was simulated emphatically and also the effect of a semi-permeable barrier on the development of the reservoir was discussed deeply. The research shows that bottom water rises after bypassing the barrier and the shape of the streamline distribution is like a “curtain”, and thus delay the time of water breakthrough. The barrier’s permeability, width, thickness and vertical location will affect the critical production rate and then affect the speed of water cresting and the development effect of the bottom water reservoir. Among them, the lower the barrier permeability, the larger the barrier width and thickness, and the closer the barrier to the horizontal well is, the higher the critical production rate is. The simulation result of the study area indicates that the effect of the barrier permeability ratio (R_K=K₁/K) is the greatest, followed by the barrier width (b) and vertical location (c), and the effect of the barrier thickness (d) can be ignored. In the study area, when R_K is less than 0.5, b is greater than 200m and c is greater than 8.5m, it is no great significance for improving the reservoir’s development effect by continuing to change anyone of the three parameters.