Analysis shows that when single-phase earth fault occurs in a distribution network， three-phase current fault components of a healthy line and that of fault line after the fault point have same size and waveform， but that of fault line before the fault point doesnt have this characteristic. A single-phase earth fault section location method in the distribution network based on phase current fault component is proposed， namely， earth fault detection devices are installed at exits and branches of every line， and each device independently measures and compares current fault components so as to identify the fault section. Then fault section location is implemented with the network topology. Specific fault location flow chart and criterions are also given. Simulation results show that this method can identify fault section correctly and reliably. In addition， this method has a simple operation principle， only needs to measure currents. It has a bootstrap characteristic， and is expected to be used in practical distribution network.