Locating the partial discharge（PD） source in power cable is one of the effective means to diagnose the local defects of cables. The sampling rate and frequency characteristic of phase velocity have obvious influences on the localization accuracy of traditional cross-correlation algorithm

thus we put forward a distance-based cross-correlation algorithm to locate the partial discharge source in power cables. Firstly

the basic principle of the distance-based cross-correlation algorithm is introduced. Then

the simulations of PD signal are performed with the MATLAB software

and the validity of the algorithm is confirmed. The influences of different propagation distance

sampling rate and signals for noise ratio（SNR） on localization accuracy are studied. Finally

the advantages of the algorithm are showed by partial discharge test experiments

which are performed on a 250 m 10 kV XLPE power cable by using an oscillation wave test system. The simulation and experiment results show that the independent variable of the algorithm proposed in this paper is distance instead of delay time. Compared with traditional cross-correlation algorithm

the algorithm has a better locating result.